Survival of the Fittest
by Arayelle Lynn
Summary: 1xR 2xH 4xOCx5 The Gundam boys found out that Heero and his 'new' partner are targetting Relena. What's the reason behind it all? But coming from outer space is a force that will take the boys into the biggest war yet: an alien invasion! Done! Yay!
1. Chapter 1: Redemption

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!☺

**TIMELINE:** The story mostly takes place after Endless Waltz. To be more precise, one year after Endless Waltz. That means two years after my very own Treize's Revenge series.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST I: REDEMPTION 

By Arayelle Lynn.

                It was almost the end of the year After Colony 197. For almost two years, the Earth and the colonies lived together in peace. Each worked together to recover from the aftermath of the Eve War as well as the Operation Meteor conflict. And each finally learned the value of cooperation, trust, loyalty, reliability and love. But most of all, the value of peace.

                However, in peace there bound to be a spark of conflict. And this conflict started at the very heart of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation, between the representatives of each nation, concerning about one controversial issue. Crime in war. More specifically, the Gundam pilots.

                Relena Darlian, Vice Foreign Minister, a girl barely 18 years old listened wearily as the representatives argued about the issue of war crimes, a few argued about convicting those who retaliated against the pacifism but fortunately, there were many who argued against punishment and instead suggested ways to make use of the rogue soldiers.

                Seated in the middle of the hall, the President had tried to gain order but to no avail. Now, he was just sitting there, letting the representatives tire themselves out. Relena sighed, trying to block out the noise from her head. It had been a month since the issue was raised but they still couldn't find any solution.

                The issue was first raised by the Defense Minister, High General Duke Geoffrey MacGarth who voiced the issue of the Barton conflict. But not long after that, he began to highlight the issue of war crimes, seeking agreement to arrest soldiers who deserted their posts and joined the forces under White Fang and Treize faction. And this happened right after the end of the Operation Meteor conflict when the Earth Sphere Unified Nation were discussing on where to place the Mariemaia's Army as well as the White Fang and Treize faction guerillas who had mysteriously turned themselves in to the Preventers, with their numbers kept on piling up.

                General MacGarth had suggested that they detain the rogue soldiers with the charge of war crime. That at first, shocked the member of the world organization. But soon afterwards, some of the representatives were influenced by his arguments as Relena and the other representatives tried to argue against arresting the rogue soldiers on the ground that they had voluntarily turned themselves in. 

                Then two days ago, MacGarth raised the issue of arresting the Gundam pilots on the ground that they were the ones who provoked the Eve War against OZ, Romefeller and the Alliance. That, Relena had fought strongly, knowing that the pilots were not to blame for it and she was glad when most of the representatives agreed with her.

                But sometimes, it took one person to stir up trouble. And that person was MacGarth.

                Relena spared a glance at him. He was watching the whole argument as if it was just a fencing match to him. Then, as if sensing her, he looked up to her. His lips curled up in a smile that sent a shiver down her spine. A smile of pure evil. And so she sent him a warning look, saying that if he raised the issue of arresting the Gundam pilots, she would fight him to the bitter end. But he just raised his left eyebrow as if saying that she was no match for him.

                In a way, she's not. MacGarth had a way with people. He could make them listen to every word he said which was why he could easily influenced some of the representatives to agree with his argument. And if he kept it up, he could win the vote of half of members of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. Maybe even more.

                Exhaling, Relena whispered one name. "Heero, help me."

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                'Heero, help me.'

                The boy looked up, thinking that he heard someone called his name. But no one was there. He then turned his attention back towards the task at hand. He had been at it for almost a while now but still no success. And so he squatted down and placed the plate on the floor.

                "Come on, eat something," he said with a gentleness he himself was surprise to hear. The puppy, a wolf dog half-breed, drew back inside the hole, looking at him hurtfully. Heero Yuy sighed, "Look, I'm sorry I left you behind for two days but there was something I must do."

                Apology. One of the few things he had learned during this one year of peace. And still he was not comfortable with it. Trowa had said it will take time for him to be comfortable with his new civilian life. But Heero seriously didn't like it.

                He didn't like it at all.

                Seeing the puppy was not going to accept his token of apology, Heero decided to give up. He sighed as he rose to his feet and settled down on the grass a few meters away. He looked around him, thinking about his life.

                All his life, he often thought that he would die in battle, that he would not live long enough to see himself asking what he was suppose to do when the war was over. Nor did he think that he would see the day when he himself destroyed Wing Zero for the sake of peace. He always thought that he would die in Wing Zero.

                How he missed Wing Zero.

                Now he finally understood why Wu Fei had joined the Barton Foundation a year ago. But then even the restless Chinese pilot had found himself a goal in life. Being a Preventer agent. In fact, all the other four pilots had found their place in life. Quatre with his inheritance and Trowa was fairly happy with his circus family. Heck, even Duo found his salvage business satisfying enough. All but him.

                What was his goal in life now?

                Protecting Relena? For how long? As long as it takes? Maybe, but what if she found someone who could truly be there for her? Someone who would not disappear and only to watch over her in shadows? Someone who could hold her when she was at her weakest state? Could Heero stand watching her in the arms of another man?

                He honestly didn't know.

                He sighed, wishing he had something to go on with in his life. He couldn't afford to waste his youth and energy just sitting around. 'But then again,' he reminded himself. 'You were the one who craved for this solitude.'

                Then he felt something wet grazed his arm. He looked down to see the puppy licking him. "So, you've finally decided to forgive me after all," he said, stroking the puppy. The puppy, which he named Adin, was his constant companion ever since he had destroyed Wing Zero. He had found it on the roadside, its mother dead being hit by a car. So Heero brought it home and cared for him.

                But still nothing could replace Wing Zero's companionship.

                "What do you think I should do, Adin?" he asked the puppy. It stared at him and yelped. "Get a job? Hm… that could help. But I'm talking about my goal in life," he said, softly. "I need to know if I have a good reason enough to continue to live."

                It was then he felt it. He looked up the sky. Somewhere out there, something changed. Something that would give him a good reason to live. Something that would changed his life and the others' forever. Maybe for better or possibly for worse.

                And up there, among the stars, Heero now remembered that there was still one person who still continued to fight. A soldier who was on her quest for redemption. But at that moment Heero felt something ended.

                And he also felt something far more dangerous was about to begin.

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                Kylie Rayden Khushrenada watched as the last of the guerilla home base exploded into pieces. Tiny shower of fires seemed to lighten the darkness of space, like fireworks on Earth sky at night. That beautiful sight marked the end of her redemption and the beginning of something new. Something she herself did not know, yet.

                Around her, the remaining guerillas were piloting their transportation, mobile suits and space shuttles alike, towards the Earth. Before she had destroyed their base, she had given them the choice of surrendering themselves to the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. And that was after she defeated them in an intense battle. And now, it's over.

                "Mission accomplished," she said to no one in particular. She let out a long sigh.

                "Copy that, Red," a voice said over the speaker. "Are you coming home now?"

                Kylie felt something trickled down her forehead but did not bother to wipe it. She was busy watching some new space ships, which were arriving at the scene. The newcomers gathered the fleeing guerillas, ignoring her red Taurus. But Kylie was not worried about them. She knew who they really were. The Preventers.

                "Kylie?" the voice said again. There's a trace of anxiety in his voice.

                She snapped out of her reverie. "Yes, I'm returning to base, Dante."

                She pushed forward her throttle, directing her Taurus towards the unknown. But from the Preventer's ships, she could sense a pair of eyes watching her leaving the scene, leaving her previous life to venture on her new one. Her mission to protect the peace was over.

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                "All the guerillas are in detention and secured, ma'am," a male voice reported, breaking through her deep thought. Lady Une broke her gaze away from the darkness of space and turned to see a Preventer agent and Sally Po, standing before her.

                "Good," she said. "Set course back to base."

                The male agent saluted. "Aye, ma'am."

                Lady Une returned her gaze to the stars before her. Sally looked at what she was staring at, seeing a tiny star trailed towards the colony cluster. But she knew that that wasn't any ordinary star. "You're worried about her?" she asked, gently. The Preventer's chief kept her eyes on the vanishing star.

                "Yeah, now that her personal mission is over. I was wondering what she would do now," she answered. Secretly, she had hoped Kylie would stay on to have a few words with her. She had missed her terribly and wished things were fine between them. But for Kylie to return to her side was too much of a wishful thing.

                Sally put her hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about her. She is a very resourceful young lady. I'm sure she will find her way in the new world. And maybe one day, she will be ready to find you."

                "I hope so."

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                As soon as Kylie landed her Taurus onto the abandoned hangar, a young man ran up to her. "Is it over, Red?" he asked, as the cockpit door swung open. Kylie jumped out of the Taurus as the artificial gravity cushioned her landing. She looked at Dante, the person who had been staying by her side this past two years.

                "Yes, it's over. The Preventers came to pick up the pieces," she said, pushing her visor up. "Thanks for contacting them for me."

                Dante's face beamed with pride. He was really glad to be of some help to her. Actually, Dante had known Kylie since she was little. They both had been living with Alonso Di'Pardi, the thief who had once plagued their lives. He knew everything that happened to her. Both of them and the other children living with the abusive thief had went through a lot together and had been very close. Until, of course, Treize Khushrenada appeared in their life and changed it forever.

                Dante was sent to live with a family in Australia. His foster parents had both been very good people. They couldn't conceive a child because of a disease and had chosen to adopt a child. And they adopted him and Grace, another Di'Pardi's unfortunate charge. Both of them lived with their new parents, finally found the happiness and love that they had craved since they were little.

                But that happiness never lasted. During the war in AC 195, Dante had lost his family. All of them, leaving him all alone in the world. He had been wandering around, lost in the world where he had known nobody until he found Kylie a few months later. Although both had grown so much, Dante still recognized her among the crowd. Her fearless eyes always stayed in his memory, giving him the strength to go on.

                But when he had found her, Dante was also struck at how much she had changed.  Her demeanor was cold and serious and she lacked the emotion of a normal person. From what little he learned about her, she had been an OZ soldier before she abandoned her post. Other than that, he knew that she once lived with the late Treize Khushrenada. As for other information, well, he drew a big fat zero. Kylie never offered to tell him what happened to her the last time they saw each other and would ignore his attempts to find it out from her. Despite that, he faithfully stayed by Kylie, helping her out while she hunted down the guerillas and destroyed their many base of operations, never asking why she was doing it. Being with her was satisfying enough.

                Now that it's over, Dante wondered what would happen next. He wondered what he should do with his life. Continue to be with Kylie? Maybe. But what's next for her?

                He was about to voice the question when Kylie shove a manila envelope into his hands. "That's for you," she simply said, peeling off her gloves.

                Dante looked at it, surprised. "What is this?"

                "I've done a little research on my own and finished it this morning." She looked at him. "Your adopted parents and Grace are still alive. They lost you and thought you were dead. They've moved to Texas after the war." She nodded at the envelope. "I have your shuttle pass and their address in the envelope. They're waiting for you, Dante."

                He felt his tears threatening to form as he stared at the envelope, disbelief. He couldn't believe this was happening. They're alive! Sensing that Kylie was still watching him, he looked at her. "B… but what about you? What would you do now?" he asked. 'Will I see you again?' he added silently.

                Kylie turned away. "I already have a plan." She paused. "Hurry up and pack. Your shuttle leave tonight." She started to walk away.

                "Wait a minute!" said Dante. "What about this?" he asked, gesturing at her red Taurus, which was standing proudly still in the hangar. Kylie stared at it. Her constant companion and partner. The very thing that gave her a lot of victories and saw a lot of her emotional loss. The only thing that gave her a meaning in life. Her only friend.

                "Destroy it," she said, recalling what the Gundam pilots did to their own mobile suits. It was time for her to bury the life of endless fighting and death. Time for her to start over. "Destroy it and send the parts to the salvage guy in L2."

                "The usual one?" he asked. Whenever they need parts, Dante was usually sent to deal with the same guy, Duo Maxwell. He doesn't know the ties between Kylie and Maxwell but Kylie had instructed him to never indicate his connection to her or even mention her name to the guy. So, Dante usually thought that Kylie wanted to maintain her identity a secret.

                "Yeah," she said, walking away. She felt as if she needed a good bath. As she was passing a mirror, she pulled off her helmet. It was then she caught her reflection and froze. There, staring back at her in the mirror was a total stranger. 

The hard and cold winter blue eyes were still there, marked by the serious look on her face. But even as she stared at her face she saw a stranger. She saw a girl she was suppose to be. Her red hair was a shade darker and damp by the sweat but it fell slightly longer on her shoulder reaching her backside, indicating how much her hair had grown over the years. Ever since she had started her mission to destroy the guerillas, she never had time to look at herself in the mirror.

Now, she could see why males turned their heads towards her whenever she was in the streets. She looked like a girl! However, that thought didn't pleased her at all. So was the question of what next for her in life.

She knew she had lied to Dante. She honestly had no idea what she's suppose to do. Her full attention was focused only to destroy the guerillas that she never stop to ask what she would do once her mission was over. Now, she was clueless.

What was Treize's final words to her?

Live and love.

Only until then she realized that she hadn't understood fully the meaning of the words. What did Treize meant by asking her to live? And love? Or was there something else she was supposed to interpret between the two magic words?

That thought made her wondered about the Gundam pilots. Did they wondered the same thing after they destroyed their Gundams? She knew Duo, Quatre and Trowa didn't. The three already had their path laid before them. What about Wu Fei? Was that the reason why he joined the Mariemaia's Army? But even now Wu Fei had found his path in life, with the Preventers.

And what about Heero Yuy? What was he doing now? Still protecting Relena? Until when? Kylie sighed at the questions that was playing in her mind. When she was once _Treize's Revenge_ the assassin, the question about her future was never brought up. She was determined to kill herself once she destroyed those who had destroyed Treize Khushrenada.

But now that she had completed her mission to destroy the guerillas before they disturb the peace of humanity, she realized that she didn't have a plan for her future. That she didn't have a path of life laid before her. Was death her ultimate gift for completing her mission?

She was so deep in thought that she didn't see Dante walking up to her, scratching his head. "That's funny," he said, breaking her thoughts. Kylie turned to him.

"What is?"

He nodded at the Taurus. "There's a message coming in but I don't think it's for you. I think someone must've made a mistake."

Kylie's senses came into full alert. "Who was it for?" she asked, quickly.

"I don't know. The receiver's name was Treize's Revenge but…" Before he could finish, Kylie was already running towards her Taurus. She leapt up to the Taurus, letting the artificial gravity bounced her to the cockpit. She settled on the seat and tapped a few keys.

'Treize's Revenge. I have a proposition that might be of some interest. Meet me at the Old Pier 4, San Francisco. Midnight.'

Kylie frowned. Nobody was suppose to know that _Treize's Revenge_ was still alive. She's sure that Lady Une handled it. Even she herself had erased any indication that _Treize's Revenge_ was connected with Kylie Khushrenada or Kyle Rayden. She wanted to buried _Treize's Revenge_ the assassin, deep into the past along with his sins. Now, someone had decided to dug him out of his grave.

In any other circumstances, Kylie wouldn't have gone, knowing her appearance would only confirm _he_ was indeed still alive. But she was curious of what this new job this person was referring to, plus, she wanted to know how this person figured out that _Treize's Revenge_ still live.

"Trouble?" asked Dante, popping his head into the cockpit. Kylie quickly deleted the message.

"Something I need to take care of," she said, surprised to hear how cold her voice sound. She rose from the seat.

"In that case, I better stay," said Dante, frowning.

She whipped her head to him. "No! You're going home and that's it."

"B… but you'll need my help," he protested.

"You can't help me with this one," she said, jumping down. "Nobody can," she whispered.

Dante followed her. "B… but why? We're a team, remember?"

"_We_ are NOT a team," she snapped, her anger rising. "I don't need you to run any errands for me anymore. I don't need you to run to the grocery store to buy food. Most of all, I don't need you to watch my back!" Then she drew a deep breath. She looked at him in the eye. "I need you to be with your family now. Go back to them, Dante. They need you," she said, softly. 'At least there's someone who need one of us,' she thought.

Dante's eyes reflected his concern. "I'll be fine," she said. "Once this is over, I'll come by to see you, okay?" she promised. 'If I live long enough that is.'

He surrendered. "Alright, I'll go. But don't you let anything happen to you."

Kylie's face hardened. "I won't. I'll make sure of it." Then she started to walk away, to prepare for her journey to Earth.

"Um…Red?" Dante called back. She froze in the middle of her stride. She turned. "What?"

"What do you want me to do with your Taurus now?" he asked. Kylie stared at it once more and sighed. 'Looks like you and I are needed, big guy,' she thought.

"Leave it alone. I have a need for it."

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The dock was dark as the fog was rolling in from the bay. It was a cold October night and November was just around the corner . As she walked towards the old and abandoned Pier 4, she thrust her hands inside the pockets of her long overcoat. She didn't know why but lately, she had taken a liking to wearing long overcoats. Maybe because it could cover her slim feminine figure, making it hard for people to determine her gender. Or maybe because she could easily hide the silencer tucked inside her belt.

And with her long hair safely tucked inside a wool cap, she knew there was no way her mysterious contact could determine her true identity. Well, provided if he or she didn't know about it already.

She walked cautiously, her eyes wandered around, searching for signs of an ambush. At the same time, she was looking for anyone who might be watching her. She had surveyed the blueprint of the place and had planned many escape routes in case she was being led into an trap. She was well-aware of the conflict in the Earth Sphere Unified Nation regarding rogue soldiers and knew the price on her head would be high if they knew that she was Treize's Revenge. And this secret meeting could be an attempt to catch her.

Then she reached the meeting spot. Seeing no one was there, Kylie decided to remain in the shadows, waiting for the appearance of this sorry fellow. She didn't have to wait long before she heard the sound of footsteps. 'Good, he or she is alone.'

It was a man. He was tall and very military-like. And his face was scarred all over.

"Treize's Revenge?" said the man. Kylie was able to detect a very distinctive trace of fear in his voice. Whoever this guy was, he's certainly afraid of _Treize's Revenge_. Probably because the assassin had targeted only military-related people.

"Talk," she simply said in a deep voice. She still didn't move away from the shadows.

The guy cleared his throat, trying to appear tough. Bad move. "Right. My reports told me that you don't talk much. Anyway, I'm Parkins. I have an interesting proposition for you."

He waited for her to prompt him or at least showed a little interest. But Kylie didn't give him the luxury. She patiently waited for him to continue. "The person I'm working for would like you to remove someone from this existence."

"Why me?"

He was surprised by her question. "Because you're the best there is. I mean, you survived your ordeal with the Gundam pilots. And, you managed to hide yourself over these years from them and the Preventers." 

Good. That means he doesn't know about what happen between her and the Gundam pilots.

He looked at her, carefully. "What do you say? Are you interested to be back in the business?"

"Let say that I am. Who's the target?"

Parkins took out a manila folder and handed it to her. What Kylie saw startled her. But still she maintained her composure and read over the file. Parkins continued to brief her, "You are to kill the person in the picture. Use any means necessary just as long as this person is out of the way."

"Why?"

"My boss has his reasons. Inside the folder there's an envelope with 50 thousand credits, your first payment. The rest you will get once you're done with the job." He paused. "Unless, you don't agree with 6 millions worth of credits."

"Looks like your boss really wants this person out of the way," she commented, ignoring the money. That was not her main concern. She looked at Parkins. "When will I get to meet your boss?"

Parkins looked at her, his face darkened. "You don't," he said. "You will only contact me and me alone."

"So, I take it that you contact this boss of yours directly?" she prompted.

He laughed. It wasn't a pretty sight. "I don't even know who hired me to find you assassins." Kylie's head snapped at that. "You mean there are more?"

"Yeah, just in case any of you failed. Because if you want to kill this person, you would be dealing with the Gundam pilots and they're a tough bunch to defeat." He winked. "Though, my money is on you, kid. You've tangled with them before. I'm sure you've learned a thing or two by now."

"Who are the other assassins?" she demanded.

Parkins smiled sadistically. "Checking out your competitions, huh?" He shook his head. "I'm not telling. All of them rather keep their involvement to themselves. So kid, you will have a lot of competition over the 6 millions credits."

Seeing that Parkins wasn't talking, Kylie decided on another approach.

"How did you know I was alive?" 

"I have my sources," this Parkins said, defiantly. He's probably feeling very proud to have uncover her existence that she herself had been trying to hide. Another bad move. "But in case you want to know, I made a follow up research on you ever since they reported you dead. When I couldn't find any record about your description or what happen to your remains, I know something was fishy. It's either they made a cover story to hide their failure to find you or you've staged your death very well. My money is on the former because, well, you're still hiding, kid."

That's the third time he called me kid. So, he did know who I am. "So you know my true identity."

Parkins grinned. "Of course. Your disappearance from your band and the disappearance of the assassin was too much of a coincidence, Kyle Rayden." He titled his head, proudly. "I know that you used to be Treize Khushrenada's apprentice, that you then went AWOL when he was killed to avenge his death."

"But you failed to kill the Gundam pilots when one of them nearly killed you. And then the authorities spread the word that you were killed. So I assumed that somehow you escaped and have been in hiding 'till this day."

Kylie frowned. It looked like this Parkins knew about the Kyle Rayden- Treize's Revenge connection. But did he knew about Kylie Khushrenada? She seriously doubted it. The only people who knew about that were Lady Une, the Gundam pilots and herself. And she knew they would never talk.

Now, as she stared back at the man before her, she saw a look of pure satisfaction as well as triumph beamed on his face. She knew that he was mighty proud of himself for discovering her supposedly real identity. But he gloated too much. And that's a fatal move.

"So, we assassins don't contact you until we finish the job, right?" she asked, her hand snuck inside her overcoat, pretending to store the folder.

"Yes. That's right."

She nodded. "Hmm… congratulations, Mr. Parkins. You must've been a very intelligent and resourceful man to have been able to find out that I'm still alive." She paused. "Tell me, do any others share this information? I need to cut a little deal to maintain my secrecy."

Parkins cleared his throat. "Nope. I'm the only one who knows about you."

"Good," she said. "That made the deal even sweeter."

He smiled greedily, seeing half the 6 millions payment in his hands. A price for his silence. He was about to state his 50-50 deal when suddenly an unimaginable horror crossed over his scarred, ugly face. A faint shot interrupted the silence of the night as Parkins stared at the gaping hole in his heart.

He looked up to see the person who shot him. His eyes filled with dread as well as betrayal. The person who shot him hadn't been a boy after all. He was a girl of seventeen years old. "You're… you're a girl!" he gasped, silently cursing at this turn of event. He backed away, still trying to escape even without half of his heart, when a second shot splattered his brain. Then he felt a rush of wind, followed by a sudden cold and numbing feeling. The last thing he saw was the one of steel cold blue eyes of a teenage girl.

Kylie watched as Parkins toppled over the railing and fell into the waters. She then tucked her silencer back under her overcoat and walked over to the railing. She saw Parkins, staring back up to nothingness. "Sorry," she said. "Can't let anyone who knows about me live. It's part of my training."

She stared back at the picture of her next target. "Whoever hired me to hit you paid dearly to do you away," she said to the picture. "Perhaps, now it's time for me to resume my life as an assassin. After all, you were in my hit list since day one." She paused. "I wonder if the Gundam pilots would interfere with this."

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Relena listened wearily as the four representatives talked or rather argued about the war crime issue. Two of the representatives had dragged her into the conversation so they could counter-argue them. But she was already tired of all the verbal sparring. No matter how long they argued, they'd never find any solution. Why not just shut up and think of a solution? Isn't that more productive?

For the first time in her life, Relena wished that she was somewhere else. Somewhere where she could be the girl of her age. Do what teenagers would do. But she had to attend the President's birthday bash because this was when she could meet the other representative from the colonies. And of course, she was after all the Vice Foreign Minister. She's the liaison between Earth and colonies.

Suddenly she found herself staring at a very familiar set of blue-green eyes. "Hello, Relena," said the person. He handed her a fruit punch. "Long time no see."

"Quatre Raberba Winner!" she exclaimed, surprised to find him at this prestigious party. But more surprise to find him on MO IV. "What are you doing here?"

Quatre smiled. "I was invited," he answered. Relena waited for him to continue and so he did. "I was chosen to represent L4 colony cluster," he explained. Then he sighed, "When they voted me, they didn't even bother to tell me how tiring the job could be."

Relena wished she could hugged him there and then. She had missed him and the other Gundam pilots terribly. Sometimes she even wished that they were all together, risking their lives in the war. "I guess that the Winner's family heir is back on his rightful seat."

"Yeah," he said. "My sisters thought that it's time for me to take control of father's business. And I guess that's the only thing I could do after I destroyed Sandrock," he said with a hint of sadness in his voice. Then he smiled. "And then the representatives of the colony cluster made me their representative. I guess they thought they could atone for my father's death and bring back the total pacifism policy my father fought for before he was killed."

Relena nodded. "I see." Suddenly a representative from L5 interrupted their conversation. "Mr. Winner. Could we have a word?" he said, nodding at a group of other representatives who was waiting for him. Quatre gave her an apologizing look, "I'll be back," he said, following the man.

Once again, Relena was alone. She watched as Quatre joined the other representatives from the space colonies. As they discussed something, Relena watched Quatre carefully. He had indeed changed physically. He had grown taller these past few years. He's now stood at 5 feet 9. He still kept his hair short and neat. His eyes, she noticed, still reflecting a great kindness and innocence but there's a hint of maturity and great intelligence in it. His blond hair, blue-green eyes and soft feature made him one of the most attractive young man Relena had ever met. All in all, Quatre Winner was the perfect image of an angel.

"Whoever manage to capture his heart would be the luckiest girl in the whole universe," she whispered, watching him making his way back to her.

"Sorry about that," he apologized. "We had to have a little emergency conference among ourselves."

Relena was curious. "About what?" she asked.

"Well, you're planning an official visit to outer space early next year, right?"

"Yeah but it's not confirm yet?"

Quatre shrugged. "Well, the colonies are already excited about hearing you're coming." He winked. "And they want me to be your personal escort."

"Personal escort?"

"Well, the official term is the Ambassador of InterSpace Colonies. I'm suppose to drive you around while you're making your visits around the colony clusters. I guess they thought you would be more comfortable having someone of your age traveling with you."

"But I heard that you're trying to win the contract for Project Jupiter right now. How can you managed all these?" asked Relena.

Project Jupiter. Its main purpose was to build a colony on Jupiter following the success of Project Mars. It was actually the main part of Relena's last year project, the Terra Formation Project. It's to ensure enough settlement for the growing population. Not only that, humankind now was concentrating on exploring outer space beyond Pluto, searching for the unknown life form. So they need new settlement in space. 

After Relena's brother, Zechs Merquis and Lucrezia Noin gave the green light to start the Terra Formation Project on Mars, the Earth Sphere Unified Nation had decided to turn the project to a company owned by various member of the ESUN. That's how the Project Mars came to be. People from Earth and the colonies came to Mars to help built a settlement there, making it as successful as the formation of the colony clusters. Due to Project Mars' success, the ESUN felt that they need to build another settlement, this time on Jupiter. Its main purpose were to find resources in the asteroid ring as well as ESUN's new space research.

However, before the company could even start the new Project Jupiter, it announced its bankruptcy due to internal reasons. So now, all multi-billionaire people were fighting for the project. And the Winners were no exception though their motive was different from others. While the others thought only in term of profits and opportunity, Quatre Winner fought for it so he could offer more jobs to the people in outer space and Earth. Especially to the ex-soldiers of both the Eve War and the Barton Foundation crisis. It's better than charging them for war crime.

Quatre just smiled. "Don't worry. The matter is still far from over. The Earth Sphere Unified Nation has a lot of other offers and still considering to whom they should give the contract to. And I know I could handle both things at once. Just as long as everything goes as planned."

But Relena was still unconvinced. She had seen a tired look on his face and knew his new duty was taking a toll on him. Sometimes, she could almost see a frail and vulnerable boy standing before her. But knowing the Gundam pilots, they always refused to display their weakness before others.

And so she just smiled, hoping that her visit might offer him the rest he badly needed. And she knew exactly how she could make him enjoy the visit with her. "Yeah. Who knows, maybe we'll ended up having fun ourselves," she said aloud. "It's a date then, Mr. Winner."

She was surprised to see him blushed. "I guess," he said, suddenly feeling very shy. Then, a soft music played in the background and some of the leaders led their partners to the middle of the ballroom. Quatre looked at them for a second before glancing at her. "Uh, do you want to dance?"

"Funny, I was about to ask her the same thing," said a new voice they'd never heard before But to Relena it sounded surprisingly familiar. She turned to see a tall young man, even taller than Quatre. His handsome face marked a great sense of intelligence but there's a trace of amusement in his striking green eyes. He wore his brown hair a little long but neat. His manner indicated that he was properly brought up as an aristocrat. Though Relena was sure she had never met him before, there's something about him that was awfully familiar.

Then he winked and saluted her, playfully. Relena suddenly remembered who he was. "Vincent Dupree! It is you!" she exclaimed, really surprised. He took her hand and kissed it.

"In the flesh. I'm so glad that you still remember me although it took you… oh… about a minute and ten to recall your childhood memory," he said. Relena hit him playfully.

"You're still a lunatic as ever. How was I suppose to recognize you since we part ways when we were just little? And why didn't you tell me you're invited?" 

Vincent smiled teasingly. "Well, when I heard that the infamous Relena Darlian was attending this party, I couldn't help myself from teasing you. But it's good to know you still remember me."

Quatre watched the whole exchanged quietly. Remembering Quatre, Vincent turned to him. "Forgive me my manners. I should've introduce myself." He extended his hand. "I'm Vincent Dupree."

"Yeah, I recognized you," said Quatre. "You're the late Duke Armand Dupree's son. The one who were involved in Project Mars."

Vincent shrugged. "I only contribute a little money to the project. I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to help the homeless war refugee."

"Yeah but 35 percent of the budget is not little," said Quatre. "That's consider generous since you didn't claim the profit made. By the way, I'm Quatre Raberba Winner."

"Yeah, I know who you are, Mr. Winner," said Vincent. "And let me offer my long overdue condolences for the death of your father. That was a cruel thing a man could ever done to another fellow man." He continued. "And let me express my appreciation for your effort to help rebuild L3 as well as helping out with the war's aftermath effort. If only there were more financially-able people like you, we would've finished resettling the refugee by now. And I'm sure you will get Project Jupiter."

"Thank you," said Quatre, glancing at Relena.

"Vincent went to the same school as I was when he was eight and I was six. He was my best friend," Relena explained. "When his father died when Vincent was 13, he was forced to move back to Northern Europe to be with his mother. I guess we lost contact."

He nodded. "Sorry about that. I had a lot to do since I was to handle all the estates and businesses my father had left me. Somehow, I must've gotten myself lost in all the paper work." He grinned. "But look at you. You've certainly been busy, Vice Foreign Minister."

Relena blushed. She had never thought she would be able to get this far. Before she met Heero, before any of this happened, her only thought was to make her foster father spend a little time with her. Who could've thought she ended up being Princess Relena Peacecraft, later on Queen Relena Peacecraft and now Vice Foreign Minister Darlian?

"Yeah, things have changed alright," she admitted.

Vincent smiled. "Things have to change, if not, we would learn nothing," he said. Then remembered something. "Oh, I forgot." He turned to Quatre. "You were asking Relena to dance."

Quatre shook his head and smiled. "That's okay. I guess you guys got a lot to catch up on." He looked at something behind Relena. "Excuse me. I think I've just spotted someone I was looking for," he said, excusing himself.

Vincent and Relena watched Quatre made his way towards a woman standing at the corner of the room. Both recognized her as Erea Winner, Quatre's older sister and his date for the night. "He's a very nice guy. Is there something going on between you and him?" he asked, as he led her towards the dancing floor.

Relena was struck at the thought. She had never thought about Quatre that way. "No. He's a friend. We went through a lot together during the war."

"So I've heard."

"Why did you say that? What have you heard?"

Vincent looked at her, mischievously. "Well, the guests here have been talking about how good you two look together. Some even go as far as planning your wedding ceremony."

She shook her head in dismay. "Quatre is a good friend. He helped me through countless times. Besides, both of us are too busy to think about marriage," said Relena. 'Plus there's the fact that my heart belongs to Heero,' she thought, wishing he was with her now.

Vincent winked. "Maybe I could change that. I heard that you're making a visit to outer space after the Christmas ball. I will be in outer space too. Maybe you and Quatre could meet up with me sometimes."

"I'd like that," said Relena. Maybe then they could finally relax from all the official business. Then, she decided to change the subject. "So, tell me what happen to you after we parted?"

Vincent shrugged. "Nothing much. I handled my father's affairs. And then, my mother died of a heart disease."

"I'm sorry."

He sighed. "It's okay. She had been really heart broken when father died. I guess now they could truly be together," he said with a faraway expression. "I'm just glad she didn't lived long enough to witness the war. She was a very passionate pacifist and the war would've stressed her."

"So what happen to you during the war?" she prompted, curiously.

"When the war struck, I was busy relocating the refugee to my estates. I tried fighting the Romefeller's decision to send in OZ but Duke Dermail had threatened me that he would destroy my estates if I said one more word." He sighed. "If I hadn't placed the refugee in my estates, I would've fight on. But I can't jeopardize their lives after all they've gone through. So, I just help out by granting asylum to the refugees."

Then his face brightened. "But I'm glad you and the Gundam pilots managed to stop more bloodshed. My only wish is that I could meet them and tell them how I admire their spirit. They are the truest human being that ever existed."

Hearing the regret in his voice made Relena almost wished she could tell him that Quatre was a Gundam pilot. But she and those who knew the pilots had agreed to keep their identity a secret. Let the people think that the Gundam pilots were like phantom heroes sent to protect peace and the entire human population. Most of all to let the young pilots continued living among them as civilians not as celebrities.

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"This picture was taken by an interstellar satellite near the orbit of Uranus," said Sally, showing Lady Une the photo. She pointed at a dark spot on the photo. "See that tiny shadow near Pluto? That's what concerns the deep space research department."

"What is it?" asked Lady Une, staring at the picture carefully.

"Unknown," Sally answered. "The department first thought it was some spatial anomaly but they discarded it because it was moving towards the inner part of our solar system. And I don't think it's a comet."

Lady Une looked at her. "What do you think?"

"It could be anything. The satellite is too far away to get a good visual."

"Hm… it's time like these that I wished that Project Jupiter is set and that we have our own deep space research. Then we can determine what is it and how dangerous this spatial anomaly is."

"Or it could be the remaining guerillas," said a quiet voice, presenting another alternative. The two woman turned to the young man, sitting before them. "We've probably missed some of the guerillas and now they've gathered away from our grasp to prepare to attack us."

"Do you think so, Wu Fei?" asked Sally for confirmation.

"Yes," he said. "But it could be something else too."

Lady Une frowned. "Yeah. Though I know it's possible that we might have missed a few guerilla groups, I doubt Kylie might too. She's a very thorough person."

"But then, even she failed to detect the early signs of Dekim Barton's plan to recommence Operation Meteor last year," Wu Fei Chang reminded her. "She's a human, isn't she? She could make mistakes."

"I guess you're right," Lady Une admitted. She looked at Sally. "Was there any success in contacting Noin and Zechs?"

"Negative," the female Chinese agent answered. "Their last location that we were able to detect was near the rim of Saturn. But we lost them right after. Still, we'll keep our search until we find them."

Lady Une sighed. They had their best agents far in outer space but they can't contact them to check on this strange image. She wished that she had told the two to keep in touch but then she had thought they would need some time alone.

Suddenly Wu Fei stood. "Requesting a leave of absence, ma'am," he said. Lady Une and Sally looked at him, surprised. "You need your best agent to check this one out. I'm volunteering."

For a moment, Lady Une was silent. Wu Fei rarely requested to lead a mission. He would usually waited until she gave him an order before pursuing it. But then again, he had been edgy ever since General MacGarth suggested the arrest of the Gundam pilots. Maybe an outer space mission far away from Earth would cool off his temper.

She stood, handing him the photo. "Very well, the case is yours," she said as Wu Fei stared at the photo. "Good luck and be careful."

"Don't worry about me. Just pray that it's only the guerillas."

"What are you saying?" asked Sally, surprised.

Wu Fei placed the photo back on the desk. "Like I said earlier. It could also be something else. Something we could not explain. Something alien."

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Quatre sighed as he finished signing off a stack of papers. He then turned to deal with another stack. It was already lunchtime but Quatre decided to keep on working so he would have a free evening at home that night.

Then someone entered his office, Quatre looked up and drew a surprise breath. "Dorothy!" he said softly, startled by her sudden and unexpected appearance. The girl before him was as beautiful as ever but he saw something in her eyes that was usually war-thirsty, but now somewhat softened.

"Hello, Quatre Raberba Winner," she said in that soft voice of hers. She looked at him, but not meeting his eyes. "It's been a long time."

He rose to his feet. "Uh… sit down," he indicated the seat before her.

But Dorothy Catalonia didn't move. Instead, she looked around her uncomfortably. "Um… I was thinking of asking you to have lunch with me." She quickly added. "If you're not busy that is."

"No, I mean sure," he said, pushing the stack of papers aside in a feeble attempt to hide them. "I can finish up later. Besides, it's been two years and I would really love to hear what you've been up to." The heiress smiled and turned but Quatre managed to catch her blushing face. He then told his secretary where he's heading and followed her.

They stopped at a café a few blocks away from his office. They'd both placed their orders and now were looking at each other, wondering who should talk first. Quatre stared at the girl before him, wondering why she was here, looking for him. In the back of his mind he was concerned if she was in any trouble.

"You look great," she said.

Quatre smiled. "You're not so bad either."

There was silence. Then Dorothy stared at his left side. "How was your wound? Did it hurt so bad?" she asked softly, biting her lips. Quatre was taken aback by her question. The wound had healed two years ago, why was she still carrying the guilt for injuring him?

"It's already healed, Dorothy," he answered, gently. But that made the girl looked even guiltier. So, he quickly added. "It's not your fault, Dorothy. You were caught in the moment of the war and I was careless. I should have seen your blade coming. If anything, I was the one who injured myself because of my incompetence."

"No! It's not your fault, Quatre Winner. It's truly mine," she said. She knew this blond Gundam pilot would somehow take the blame on himself to make others feel better. She took a deep breath, to calm the raging guilt in her heart. "I came to ask for your and Trowa's forgiveness. I'd made a very huge mistake."

"We all made mistakes, Dorothy. That's how we learn from it," said Quatre. "But I could understand why you did what you did. You lost your father at a very young age and of course you would resent the world. When we Gundam pilots appeared, it's natural for you to blame us because we were, in a way, an enemy to your father as he had represented OZ." He lowered his eyes. "I guess we pilots not only stirred up peace, we also stirred up hatred in a few people," he said, thinking about Mariemaia who grew up hating them and also MacGarth who were trying to disfavor the Gundam pilots.

"Stop it, Quatre. I knew you would somehow turned all these into your fault," she said, reaching for his hand. Quatre was startled by the gesture. "It's not your fault people like me hate you. Like you said, we only hate those who seemed to oppose you." When she realized she was holding his hand, she drew it back.

"I'm sorry," she said. "And I'm sorry for being such a nuisance to you, Miss Relena and your friend Trowa." She paused. "I guess I realized my mistake when Trowa told me how heartless I've became. And when you told Trowa to lead me to safety and leave you, I guess, that's when I learned the true meaning of kindness that you've been trying to tell me when we fought. That, and also what makes you Gundam pilots so pure-hearted."

She looked at him. "You two showed me that I can become the person that I wanted to become and leave the past in the past. I'm sorry for injuring you and causing you and Trowa more trouble than I'm worth."

Quatre looked at her gently. "Actually, there was nothing Trowa and I could forgive. We both agreed that whatever happened, happened for a reason. And we've never blame you for any of it. That include Miss Relena too. She knew you would someday see her point for total pacifism. And we're glad that you do now."

"Thank you," said Dorothy, relieved. "I've tried to get in touch with Miss Relena but she had been quite unreachable and I've tried to find Trowa first but couldn't get to him."

Quatre smiled and sipped his tea. "Trowa is among us pilots that is a little hard to reach. His circus family kept on moving from one place to another that even both of us hadn't been in contact for a few months now." 

He then paused. "Anyway, we heard what you did during that Barton Foundation conflict. And I'm sure Trowa and the others would like to say thank you. We really appreciated what you did back there. We were really ready to end our lives back then but when the people started to retaliate against Dekim Barton and the Mariemaia's Army, it really gave us new hope. It was then we truly realized that our decision for destroying the Gundams was the right one."

"Really?" asked Dorothy, obviously surprised by his words.

"Yes, thank you."

She blushed. They looked at each other for a moment before Quatre spoke up, "So, tell me what you've been up to all these years?"

Dorothy smiled. "After that Treize's Revenge incident, I went back home. Now, I'm handling my inheritance which was entrusted to me by my father and my grandfather, Duke Dermail."

"Wow, that's a lot of inheritance."

"But not as much as yours," she said, winking. "I saw all the paperwork, Quatre Winner. You've been very busy. As for me, well, I sold some of my estate to the Earth Sphere Unified Nation so they could relocate the refugee there. I guess I didn't want to worry so much about lands. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to do with my life besides handling properties."

Quatre chuckled at the similarity. "You and me both, Dorothy. I guess I was a little lost when I destroyed Sandrock. When he was there, I can only see my future with him. Now, I have to figure my future all by myself."

Dorothy grinned. "Maybe we could figure out our futures together. Who knows, maybe we'll find ourselves in the same path."

"It's possible," said Quatre, blushing at the prospect of having Dorothy by his side. She was, in his opinion, the most beautiful girl he ever met save Relena Darlian. But he had never thought about her that way before. However, fate had a way with human lives. He and Dorothy could find themselves involved with each other if they let it happen.

But somehow, Quatre felt something existed between both of them. It wasn't that she used to be their enemy or that the fact she nearly bleed him to death. It was something else. Or it could also be someone else.

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                "Aww… come on, Hilde. It wasn't that serious. It was just a peek," said Duo Maxwell, trying to extinguished the burning temper of his longtime companion and girlfriend. Hilde looked at him skeptically, ready to burst out. So, he raised his hands in defense. "Okay, so it wasn't a peek. But a guy has to look at other girls every point in his life."

                Hilde stood nose-to-nose with him. "Yeah, well, not towards the extent that the girl came over and kissed you. You must've sent her some kind of signal or something."

                "If I sent her a signal, she must've interpreted it wrong. Besides, I only helped her fixed her car. It's not like we're going to see each other any time soon." He raised his left eyebrow. "And not only that, she is after all, a customer. And you know I take my work seriously."

                "Oh yeah, by flirting with every female that comes along the doorstep?" asked Hilde. "I've had it, Duo Maxwell! First Deathscythe and now your so-called business. I'm leaving," she said, walking towards the door.

                Duo moved to stop her. "Hey, where are you going?"

                Hilde glanced back at him. "Some place that is away. And I won't return until you learn how to treat me like your girl." With that she slammed the door. Duo felt his own anger raising and shouted back.

                "Fine, don't come back then. You're the one who wanted to be with me. I didn't even ask you to stay and I won't." It was then his anger subsided and he realized what he had just said. He sighed. Of course, he didn't mean what he had said. He and Hilde had been together for a long time now that it was natural for them to argue once in a while. But lately, their arguments had became rather serious and continuous.  Duo didn't know what was playing in Hilde's mind since she was the one who started most of the fights and he's almost afraid or too busy to ask.

                Sighing, Duo picked up a stained cloth and wiped his dirty hands with it. Sometimes, he almost wished for the times when he was piloting Deathscythe and destroying OZ and the Alliance military group. He missed the danger and the adrenaline rush. But that time was long gone. All he had now was his salvage business and Hilde. 

Then, he heard the clock hit 6 o'clock. Dinnertime would be coming soon. "Well, looks like I'm going to have to eat alone again." He went to the bathroom to clean himself up. 

On the other side of the door, Duo failed to hear the sniffing sound of Hilde, crying over her wounded heart. She wished Duo would know what she was trying to tell him about. But being Duo, she doubted he notice how fragile their relationship was now.

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	2. Chapter 2: Resolution

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!☺

**TIMELINE:** The story mostly takes place after Endless Waltz. To be more precise, one year after Endless Waltz. That means two years after my very own Treize's Revenge series.

**NOTE:** I kinda forgot to do this in the first chapter. I have to thank Suiki Bara for clearing up a few things for me, namely what the 'Terra Formation Project' is about. For your information, the project had been mentioned at the end of both Gundam Wing the series and Endless Waltz by Relena and later Zechs. So Suiki, this chapter is dedicated for you and your brilliant mind.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST II: RESOLUTION 

By Arayelle Lynn.

            Quatre Winner waited patiently as the private shuttle of Vice Foreign Minister Relena Darlian made its landing inside the holding bay of L1 colony. He waited for a few seconds until the flight traffic attendant gave a clear signal before making his way towards the shuttle. As Quatre walked, he was well aware of the flashing of cameras all around him, recording the arrival of the most famous and influential representative of Earth Sphere Unified Nation.

                Relena Darlian stepped out of the shuttle and made her way down. "On behalf of the colonies in space, I welcome you whole-heartedly, Vice Foreign Minister Darlian," said Quatre, still trying to grasp on the concept of formality. They shook hands.

                Relena smiled in amusement at Quatre's distinctive awkward manner. 'He must've little time to practice on being a diplomat because of his affairs,' Relena speculated, noticing how tensed he was. And so, she decided to tease him a little.

                "It's really nice to see you again, Ambassador Winner," she said and saw Quatre flushed.

                The reporters continued taking pictures of them. "Um… our transportation awaits us," said Quatre, uncomfortably. "It is best we make our way to your accommodation."

                "Lead on, Ambassador," said Relena and they made their way towards the waiting limousine. Once they were inside, Quatre drew a sigh of relief as Relena watched him in amusement. He looked at her, pained. "Ambassador Winner?" he voiced. Relena shrugged.

                "Well, that is your job for now, right?" He groaned. "Get used to it, Quatre. You'll be hearing people calling you that for the duration of my visit."

                For a moment Quatre shook his head in dismay. "Thank goodness for all the business dealings I have to handle or else I wouldn't have any idea how to behave." Despite his words, Relena knew it wasn't entirely true. Quatre Winner can be as formal and diplomatic as any diplomats. In fact, she had seen evidence of this before he took over the Winner's family business. He had shown a great subtleties in dealing with the daughters of the influential aristocrats back when he and Heero had been hiding in the Sanc Kingdom as students in the institute. His good manner was the very thing that made him fit in with the rest of the students, something Heero didn't bother to do.

                No. The main reason, Relena believed, was the weight of the burden of representing the colonies. And of course, the media. She knew all the Gundam pilots were not comfortable being the one in the news, save if they're inside their gundams. All, except Trowa, who was used to being in the center of attention when he performed.

                "Don't worry. We wouldn't be attending much formal functions," she said, reassuringly. "I have a lot of invitation to give talks and short visits though. They're nothing that you can't handle."

                "Yeah, I'm aware of that," said Quatre. "They gave me the full list of your visits this morning. But I guess the biggest event will be the New Year Ball tomorrow night." He smiled at her. "I hope you're ready for some heavy dancing. It's been a long time since the colonies were graced by the presence of an influential Minister like you."

                "Of course I'm ready," she said. "You owe me a dance, remember? And I want you to be my partner for the first dance." Seeing Quatre blushed, Relena smiled. But in her amusement, she suddenly felt as if something was going to happen soon. Something that spelt danger to all of them.

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                The ball was in full swing as Quatre swept Relena onto the dance floor. Both were well aware of  the eyes that was watching them, whispering among themselves but Quatre and Relena chose to ignore them. As they danced the waltz, Quatre gave Relena an update on the other Gundam pilots save Heero whom he hadn't heard from since the last time they saw each other. And for the first time since Relena's visit, Quatre seemed relaxed.

                When the music ended, he led her away from the dance floor. "You're a pretty good dancer for a soldier," Relena complimented. 

Quatre blushed. "Well, when I was very young, my sister Irin taught me how to dance." He glanced at her and saw her gave him a questioning look. "Irin is slightly older than Erea and she's  the best dancer I've ever seen."

"I would really like to meet her," said Relena. "What does she do?"

"Irin? Well, she opened a dancing institute on Earth. She taught  noble and rich daughters and sons how to dance."

"And I've had the opportunity of being one of her students," said a new voice. Quatre and Relena froze in their steps and saw a blond girl standing before them. "Hello, Miss Relena. It's been a while." Relena was surprised to find Dorothy standing before her.

"Dorothy. I didn't know you were here," she said as they shook hands. "How have you been?"

Dorothy opened her arms. "Pretty well, I say." She then nodded at Quatre. "Nice to see you again too."

He smiled. "Glad to see that you're able to make it, Dorothy."

Relena looked at Quatre, then Dorothy. "I invited Dorothy to the ball," he explained. It was then Relena realized that whatever was between them and Trowa, it was already in the past. So Relena stepped forward and gave her old friend a hug, surprising Dorothy a little. "Well, I'm just glad to see you again. It has been a while."

"And what about me?" another new voice said. Relena turned to see Vincent Dupree. "Nice to see you again, Relena."

"You made it!" said Relena. "How are you?"

Vincent gave her one of his most charming smile. "Been busy. But I'm ready to have a good time tonight." He nodded at Quatre. "Nice to see you again, Mr. Winner."

"Just Quatre, please. And I'd like you to meet Dorothy Catalonia."

Vincent raised his eyebrow as he took Dorothy's hand and kissed it. "Duke Dermail's granddaughter. It's a pleasure to have meet you at last. He talked about you so fondly that I sometimes think that I've already knew you." He didn't mention Duke Dermail's last words to him, fearing it might jeopardize their newly formed acquaintance.

"Duke Vincent. I've heard not many about you," said Dorothy, curious as to why.

He shrugged and gave her a heart-melting smile. "Let just say that I wasn't in close contact with your grandfather. I'm only a duke by inheritance and not an active member of Romefeller."

"I see," said Dorothy, immediately liked his subtle manner. "Maybe we can change that, my duke."

"Vincent, please. I don't let my friends call me duke."

"Alright, Vincent."

Vincent then turned to Relena. "Actually, I came by here to ask if you're free for the next dance."

"Sure. Quatre and I were just talking." She gave him her hand. Vincent nodded at Quatre and Dorothy, "It's been a pleasure meeting you, Dorothy. Glad to see you again, Quatre." He then led Relena to the dance floor. 

But as Vincent was passing Quatre, he paused. "Be wary, Quatre. I saw Duke Kent Winteridge among the guests somewhere," he whispered. Quatre looked at him, surprised. He hadn't known that Winteridge was invited to the ball too.

"What was that all about?" asked Dorothy, breaking through his thoughts.

Quatre glanced at her. "Oh? Duke Winteridge is one of my rivals for Project Jupiter."

"I see," said Dorothy. Seeing Quatre not offering more information, she turned her attention towards Relena and Vincent who were dancing gracefully. Both were smiling, enjoying themselves. Dorothy then realized that Relena had never look happier since her father was killed. Seeing how happy her friend look made her sighed.

"Aren't they a perfect couple?"

Surprised, Quatre turned his eyes to her. "Huh? Relena and Vincent?" Dorothy nodded.

"Yes, see how well they move. It's like they understood each other, heart and soul."

"Well, Vincent and Relena are old friends," he said, slowly. "It is possible that they could fall in love." Then he added to himself, 'But there's Heero. And Relena might still have feelings for him.'

"Hmm…" was Dorothy's comment. She longed for someone to care for her, to love her. But the one she wanted was always out of her reach. First Treize, then Milliardo and now…

"Lady Dorothy," a voice said, breaking her thoughts. She realized then that there was a handsome-looking young duke was standing before her. "Would you do me the honor of awarding me the next dance?"

Dorothy glanced at Quatre, not wanting to leave him alone. But she saw he was distracted by something else. Realizing that the young duke was still waiting for her answer, she offered her hand. "I'd be honored, my lord."

Quatre choked at the very sight that caught his attention. It was a girl of his age, standing near the refreshment table with a glass of fruit juice in her hand. He stared at her, making sure she was not a figment of his imagination. He then turned to ask Dorothy to confirm his sighting but found her being led to the dance floor. And so he returned his gaze on the girl.

"It can't be her," he whispered as he made his way towards her. But as he was approaching her, he realized that his suspicious was true. She was…

"Kylie Khushrenada!" he said softly. "What are you doing here?"

The girl before him was totally different from the assassin he met two years ago. Her long red hair was darker almost to the shade of dark brown and she pulled it up and let loose a few tendrils of hair. She was wearing a dress that hugged her body perfectly. Her winter blue eyes matched her dark lavender dress beautifully. All in all, she was ravishingly beautiful. And breath taking.

Then, he saw the girl looked at him, uncertain. As if she couldn't make out his deal. "I'm sorry, sir. I believe that you've mistaken me for someone else," she said in a slightly accented voice.

"It's me, Quatre. We met two years ago, remember?" he tried again. 'Did she met an accident that caused her to have amnesia?' he wondered. Somehow, that thought alone filled him with dread.

"I'm sorry, but no I don't think we've met," she said, politely. "I don't know who's this Kylie Khushrenada so I would assume that she's a friend of yours. But I'm not her." She started to move. "Excuse me, I was looking for my employer."

Quatre stared at the retreating form, realizing that he could've made a mistake. Kylie was cold and void of emotions. The girl before him was polite and nervous, traits Kylie had never and would never display. Yet, the girl looked exactly like Kylie. Could it be that there's a twin of Kylie that she herself was unaware of?

"Wait!" he called out to her, reaching for her left arm. The girl jumped and turned to face him. "I'm sorry for startling you. I realized my mistake now," he apologized. "Yes, Kylie was a dear friend of mine. The fact that you look exactly like her made me mistaken you for her. It's been a long time since I last saw her so you could say that I missed her."

Something in her eyes softened. "Oh?" She didn't seemed to know how to react towards this. "Th…that's fine," she said, softly.

Quatre suddenly remembered something. "I'm sorry. I seemed to have forgotten my manners with all the embarrassment. My name's Quatre Raberba Winner." He offered his hand to her. She reached out to shook his hand.

"You're the one my employer was looking for," she said, her eyes flashing. Quatre had to remind himself that this was not Kylie. "My name's Heather Leong. It's a pleasure to meet the heir of the Winner's family." Quatre was about to ask who her employer was when another voice interrupted them.

"Kylie!" Relena Darlian said. She had left Vincent as soon as she saw Quatre was talking to the young assassin. But she was surprised when Kylie frowned at her. So, Quatre stepped in, "She's not Kylie, Relena." He gave Heather an appraising look. "Though the resemblance is unbelievable." He introduced her to Relena.

"Oh, I see," said Relena, dubiously. Although Quatre believed that the girl was not Kylie, Relena found herself questioning her identity. There's something about the girl she couldn't place. Something that was out of place.

"It's really a pleasure to meet you, Miss Relena," she said, pleasantly.

"Relena, please. So where are you from?" she prompted, trying to get to know the girl. But before Heather could answer, the room roared.

"Hey, they're starting the countdown," said Quatre. The three stared at the display clock before the room as the guests chorused the countdown together. When they reached one, the room was filled with well-wishers, each wished for a good and peaceful new year. Quatre turned to Relena, his face beaming. "Happy New Year, Relena."

"Happy New Year, Quatre," said Relena, then her eyes searched for Vincent. She had planned to wish her old friend a Happy New Year but forgotten about it because of Heather. Quatre, meanwhile, turned to regard the other girl who was standing behind him but found Heather studying the ice sculpture on the refreshment table. Her face was suddenly tensed and unreadable.

"Heather?" he said. Heather turned her head towards him, blinking. "Oh, Happy New Year to you too, Quatre," she said. "Will you excuse me? I have to find my employer now. I was suppose to be his escort." She moved to get by him but she tripped over the hem of her dress. Her drinks spilled on Quatre's shirt as he tried to jump back. He collided with Relena who was behind him as they both fell on the floor.

And the ice sculpture exploded into tiny pieces.

For a moment the whole ballroom fell into deep silence. All the guests' attention was fixed on the remaining ice sculpture and the sight of Quatre and Relena on the floor. Heather stared at the ice sculpture and at the burning hole in the wall behind the refreshment table. She then stared at Quatre in horror. "Someone's trying to kill the Vice Foreign Minister!" someone else voiced her horror.

Then the room was plunged into chaos. Quatre tried to disentangle himself from Relena, in case the shooter tried to take another shot at Relena. But then Dorothy appeared, "Stay down with Miss Relena, Quatre," she said. She turned to the man behind her. "Take your man and find the shooter before he leave the building. And make it fast." When the man hesitated, she barked. "Now would be a good time, captain! Don't worry about Miss Relena. She's in good hands." As she said that, Dorothy's personal bodyguard appeared by her side. The head of the security nodded and began to issue orders to his man. He then moved to calm the other guests.

Dorothy shook her head. "That's the poorest security system I've ever seen." She knelt before Quatre and Relena. "Are any of you hurt?" Quatre looked over Relena first before he examined himself.

"We're alright, just shaken," he said. He then remembered someone. "Heather?" he looked up. Dorothy followed his eyes and almost jumped to her feet. "Kylie!" But the girl before her didn't act like the feared assassin at all. Instead, her face was pale and she was in verge of collapsing.

Quatre jumped to his feet. "Are you alright?" he asked, reaching out for her. She looked up to him and shook her head. But she didn't say a word. If anything, Dorothy guessed that the girl that looked like Kylie was still in shock.

"Relena!" Vincent ran towards Relena. He knelt next to her and held her in his arms. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" he asked, deeply concerned. Relena shook her head. "I'm fine, Vincent. Please, help me up." 

"What happened?" he asked, glancing at Quatre.

"Someone was taking a shot at Relena," said Quatre. He glanced at the girl beside him. "If it wasn't for Heather, he would've hit his target." He smiled at her. "You saved her life, Heather."

Dorothy examined the ice sculpture. "From the look of things, she has saved both of your life, Quatre. If you hadn't fell to the floor, you could've been hit by the second shot." Heather's head snapped towards her as others did. "There's a second shot?"

"Yeah. The first shot missed and hit the ice sculpture and the second shot hit the wall," said Dorothy, digging a bullet from the remains of the sculpture. "You were lucky."

"B…but I tripped and accidentally spilled my drinks on Quatre. He's the one who really saved Miss Relena," Heather explained what happened. "He's the hero."

Dorothy shrugged. "Yeah, but if you hadn't tripped, Miss Relena wouldn't be standing."

"Heather!" a new voice called out. A handsome and distinguished man in his middle twenties made his way towards them. He took her hands and looked at her with deep concern. "I've just heard. Are you alright? Are you hurt?" he asked as Heather nodded. "I'm fine, Kent."

"I shouldn't have left you all alone," he said. He then looked at the people gathered around Heather. "Do you mind if I take her away now? She's pretty shaken," he asked. Seeing no one was objecting, he led Heather away, blaming himself.

"Kent?" Quatre chorused.

Dorothy regarded at him. "Don't you know? He's Duke Kent Winteridge, your rival."

"Ambassador Winner." The captain returned. They turned their attention towards the head of security. "I'm sorry but we lost the shooter. However, I've sent my men to scout the area in case he doubles back. So far, the vicinity is secured." He paused to glance at Dorothy's bodyguards. "I've prepared a few of my men to escort you and Vice Foreign Minister back to your hotel."

Quatre nodded. "That would be fine." He turned to Relena. "Looks like the party is not going anywhere. What would you say if we turn in for the night? Tomorrow we still have that talk you're suppose to attend."

Relena nodded. "Good idea. I've had enough excitement for one night."

As Quatre led Relena out of the ballroom, he spared one more glance towards Heather and Kent. Both were whispering with each other as Kent tried to calm her down. Then, a man came over to the duke and they talked for a few moments. Quatre then saw Heather looked back at the bullet hole in the wall and then turned her gaze on one of the dark and empty balcony upstairs. Her expression was once again tensed and unreadable.

@@

                "There was an attempt on Relena's life?" Lady Une chorused as soon as she read the report brought over by Sally.

                "Yeah," said the Chinese Preventer agent. "But that's not what concerns me. She faces the threat of being assassinated everyday in her life. No, what concerns me is how close a call it was."

                "Heero," Lady Une said, understanding the meaning of her words. "You were concerned on how the assassin get past Heero." Both of them were well aware of Heero, protecting Relena silently. They also knew that Heero would usually destroy the assassins first before any of them could even get close to Relena.

                "So the question is, what happened to Heero?"

                Sally leaned forward. "If you want, I can have some of our agents search for Heero. Who knows maybe he's hurt somewhere."

                "No," said Lady Une. "If we do that, we'll risk exposing his location and might even make it hard for him to locate the assassin. We don't know what happen to him and we shouldn't speculate. Besides, we have an even more pressing matters." She glanced at the report Sally gave her. "You said Quatre was with Relena, right?"

                "Yes."

                Lady Une nodded. "Good. That means we have the Gundam pilots handling this matter."

                "What is the pressing matter you talked about?" asked Sally.

                Lady Une looked at her agent, grimly. "It's that shadow. It's heading straight into our solar system.."

                "What? What about Wu Fei?"

                "We lost him a few hours ago. He's gone."

@@

                Relena waited patiently as securities ran a check on her hotel room to see if there were any unpleasant surprises. She was bone tired and her patience was wearing thin. Only the fact that Quatre was with her made her kept her temper in check. No use distressing Quatre with her own fatigue.

                When one of the security guard gave them a clear sign, Relena and Quatre entered the room. The security guard pulled Quatre aside. "I will have my men standing guard outside the Vice Foreign Minister's room, just in case." Quatre nodded as the security guard called for his men to leave the room.

                Relena, who made her way across the room towards her bed, gasped. "Quatre!" He quickly ran towards her, followed by the security guard. What he saw made him froze. On Relena's bed there's a picture of her and a stalk of red rose. A dagger was stuck on the picture. "There's something written on the picture," the guard observed.

                Quatre pulled the dagger and picked up the picture. " '_You will be dead_,' " he read and looked at Relena. "It's confirmed then. Someone is trying to get you." He handed the picture to the guard for an inspection and picked up the rose. 'Something is awfully familiar about this rose,' he thought. Then it struck him, 'Could it be… no it can't be her. She's on our side… isn't she?'

                He turned to Relena and saw her reached the same conclusion. But both didn't sound their thoughts, fearing that they would be making a big mistake.

@@

                Wu Fei cursed the maker of the shuttle he's piloting as the control panel nearly blew off in front of his face. He was passing Saturn when the shuttle broke down. After several hours of diagnostic, he discovered that some of the fuses in the control panel short-circuited, not able to take on a journey as far as this. And along with it, the communication system, so he can't call for help. Luckily, his environment system and life support were still intact but he didn't know when he would run out of power.

                Cursing, he slipped back into the panel to recheck his repairs. Maybe he did made a few mistakes due to his foul temper. And for the thousandth time, Wu Fei wished he had Nataku with him. He knew the Gundam could make a long trip such as this.

                After rechecking his repairs, he turned on the engine. For a moment, the shuttle hummed and then died. "Come on, you-stupid-piece-of-a-sorry-reason-for-a-bucket-of-bolts. Start!" he growled, hitting the panel with his fist. Suddenly, the shuttle came to life and he rolled his eyes. "Finally!"

                He was about to leave the area when suddenly his sensors indicated strange readings. Curious, he headed towards the indicated area.

                What he saw was a Preventer's shuttle holding on its own against some unidentified small space fighters. Realizing that the shuttle couldn't hold on much longer, Wu Fei opened the channel. "Preventer's shuttle, come in." His presence attracted the unidentified fighters as a few of them came to him. Wu Fei executed a few evasive moves before destroying them all.

                There was static and an image appeared. "Wu Fei, glad to see some friendly face."

                "Noin! Zechs! Looks like you could use some help."

                "Looks like it."

                "Good. I was looking for some action, anyway."

                Wu Fei dove into the heart of the battle. He tried to attract the attention of this unknown enemy so Zechs' shuttle had the chance of defending itself. The maneuvers of the fighters were new to him that it took him a while to get a grasp of things and destroy a few of them. They fought for hours before Zechs finally destroyed the last fighter. By then, Wu Fei was already panting and his shuttle was making some strange noises. Zechs and Noin were in worse condition than he was.

                "Fancy meeting you here, Wu Fei," said Noin as Zechs ran a damage report.

                "I'm on a mission. What was that all about anyway?" asked Wu Fei, running his own damage report. His shuttle will live to make another trip.

                Noin wrinkled her nose. "Well, it's some of our newly acquainted friends. They didn't like us snooping around."

                Wu Fei nodded. "Well, you shuttle seemed fine. I guess you're okay to go on." He paused. "I'm sorry to have to split but I have something Lady Une wants me to investigate." He tapped a few keys to plot his course.

                "Are you heading towards the strange reading near Pluto?" asked Zechs, finally opening his mouth.

                "Yeah."

                Zechs looked at him, his face serious. "Don't bother. We already know what was going on there," he said. Wu Fei looked at him, surprised. "You do? What is it then? Is it a new threat?"

                "The most dangerous threat ever," he said, grimly. "It's an invasion."

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                Quatre listened every word Relena said as his eyes wondered at every corner of the big hall. He knew that the Earth Sphere Unified Nation had provided Relena with enough security team that could protect even the President himself but of all, he trusted his own eyes and instinct to detect any sign of trouble. Especially, since he was sitting right beside Relena who was standing behind a podium giving a talk about pacifism to a large group of the colonies' representatives. If he saw any sign of trouble, he wanted to be ready to spring into action to protect Relena.

                So far, there was no sign of trouble. But Quatre was not easily satisfied.

                "…And so let us work together to ensure the peace and harmony of both Earth and outer space. We're not doing this to benefit any side, Earth and the colonies alike, but we're doing this for the sake of the whole human race," she finished as the hall echoed with thunderous hand clap as the representatives rose to their feet to show Relena they shared her sentiment.

                That's when Quatre's specially-trained danger instinct tingled in his mind. His eyes quickly searched around the hall, looking for the source that triggered his senses. Then his eyes saw it. Among the catwalk above, there was a shadow, watching Relena's every move. With a rifle in his hand.

                Quickly, Quatre rose from his seat and dove. "Down!" he cried as he knocked over Relena. A few shots rang followed by screams and people running. Quatre could hear someone barked an order to shoot down the assassin as hands picked him and Relena up to get them to safety. In the chaos, Quatre managed to steal a glance at the four bullet holes on the wall where Relena was standing. He also managed to catch a sight of the assassin's retreating form. It was a girl!

                Then, the chaos ceased as the head of security came over to them. "Are you hurt, Vice Foreign Minister?"

                "No, just shaken. Thanks to Ambassador Winner," she looked at Quatre who was lost in his thoughts.

                "What about you, Ambassador Winner?" asked Captain Malcolm, the head of security. When Quatre didn't answer, Relena was concerned. She touched his shoulder. "Quatre?"

                He looked up, startled. "Uh? Yes, I'm fine."

                Malcolm nodded. "That was some great reflex, Ambassador Winner. You really did save Vice Foreign Minister Darlian's life."

                "It was nothing. I saw him on the catwalk."

                "Then, I should say that that was some keen eye sight you have. Pity that you weren't a soldier. I could've used someone like you in my team," said Malcolm. Quatre nodded, slowly. "Yeah, pity," he said, absent-mindedly. Suddenly another member of the security team approached them.

                "Report, sergeant," said Malcolm.

                The sergeant shook his head. "Missed him, sir. The assassin is as slick as an eel. Maybe slicker."

                "Alright, ran another sweep across the area while I lead the team to send the Vice Foreign Minister and the Ambassador back to the hotel." He glanced at them. "No one is going to get to Miss Relena on my watch," he said determinedly.

                They returned to the hotel since Relena and Quatre were schedule to arrive in the L2 later that evening. But as they were walking along the hallway, they discovered that someone was waiting. "Vincent?" Relena voiced. Vincent Dupree rushed towards her, concern was written all over his face.

                "Are you alright? I've just heard," he said. "I was on a shuttle to L2 when I heard about the second shooting. I came back as soon as I can." Relena could see his eyes were intense and wondered why it so bothered him that her life was in danger.

                "I'm fine. Quatre saved me," she said. Vincent looked at Quatre, gratefully.

                "Once again, you amazed me, Quatre Winner. I thank you for saving Relena."

                Quatre smiled. "She's my friend too, Vincent."

                A security guard exited Relena's room. "All clear, sir but you would want to see this."

                Curious, Quatre and Relena exchanged glances as they entered the room. Sure enough, another note was being left on Relena's bed with a red rose. Malcolm picked the note and read, " '_Thank your lucky stars for your knight_.' " He then gave the note and the rose to one of his men. "Run a scan on these items. I want to know if there's anything that could point us to our assassin."

                Then another man entered, holding a cell phone. "Captain, there's a call for you." Captain Malcolm took the phone and walked away from them. Relena watched the captain carefully, hearing the rise of his voice and then a look of annoyance flashed across his face. Then his shoulder slumped as if giving into a fight.

                He returned to them, scowling. "I was actually going to organize my team to go to L2 with you but it seems like our service for you is terminate here, Vice Foreign Minister."

                Relena blinked. "Why is that?"

                "It's seems that another unit is on the mission." He regarded his men. "Hear this, men. After we escorted the Vice Foreign Minister and the Ambassador to their shuttle, our job is over. The Preventers are taking over."

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                When Duo heard about the second attempt on  Relena's life, he immediately knew something was amiss. Heero would usually destroy the assassins before they even got close to Relena Darlian. If he had missed one that would be understandable but to have missed twice, that's different. And so, he quickly went to the vidcomm to try to contact Quatre, who was suppose to be Relena's escort but he was too late. They had already left the hotel, heading his way. So, he contacted another person.

                "Hey, long time no see, eh, Trowa," he said, as soon as the quiet Heavyarms' pilot appeared on the screen.

                "I'm a little busy right now, Duo," he said. "So make it snappy. I need to pack."

                Duo shook his head. "I guess you didn't hear about the attempts on Relena's life then."

                "Actually I did," said Trowa. "That's the reason why I'm packing."

                Duo was surprised. "You're coming here?"

                "Yeah, I'm a little concern," Trowa admitted.

                "About Heero?" Duo prompted.

                Trowa shook his head. "Not much about Heero. It's Quatre and Relena I'm concern about. Heero can take care of himself. If he didn't get the assassin twice, he would get him later. I saw how he really worked. He's good."

                "Alright, if you say so," Duo surrendered. "I'll just have Hilde prepared the guest room."

                "Thanks, Duo."

                "Hey, Trowa," said Duo before the other could disconnect the line. "You know that while Heero always get his target, there's only one person who really gave him a hard time locating."

                Trowa paused, trying to reconsider his answer but decided to tell Duo what he thought. "Yeah, you're right. Kyle Rayden."

@@

                Trowa disconnected the line as he turned to another vidcomm. "You hear that, Quatre?"

                "Yeah, I heard it. I guess you guys are playing bodyguards now, huh?"

                "Only until Heero gets whoever the assassin is. You know we can't be complacent about this kind of thing. The peace of humanity depends on the survival of Relena Darlian and we need to keep her alive to ensure peace."

                Quatre sighed. "Yeah, I know you're right." He glanced at something outside the screen.

                "Is there something you're keeping from me, Quatre?"

                His friend turned to him, startled. "Uh? No. Not at all. They've just announced our time of arrival." He decided to change the subject. "The Preventers are taking over the mission. I guess I'll be meeting Wu Fei and Lady Une anytime soon."

                "Good. The more experienced people protecting Relena, the better. I've heard you've done a great job yourself."

                Quatre shook his head. "Not really great or else I would've capture or locate the assassin myself."

                "And then what?" asked Trowa. "Do you think you can face this assassin one-on-one?"

                Again his friend sighed. "No. I just wished I could do better."

                "You've kept her and yourself alive this far. So that's good enough."

                "If you say so." But he was still unconvinced.

                Trowa decided to end the matter. "Since the Preventers are taking over, I guess Duo and I could snoop around to find out more about our assassin. So, we might be joining you a little later."

                "Does that mean you're heading towards L1 instead?"

                "Since that's where the assassin first strike, yeah. That means I have to call Duo up and have him meet me there."

                Quatre nodded. "Alright, good luck."

                Trowa stared at his surrogate little brother, carefully. "You be careful yourself, okay."

                As if sensing Trowa's deep concern for him, Quatre nodded. "Don't worry, Trowa. I'll be fine."

                When Trowa terminated the connection, he couldn't help but wondering what Quatre had been keeping from him. But whatever it was, Trowa knew it deeply concerned Quatre seeing how distracted the Arabian pilot was. And he knew Quatre couldn't afford to be distracted for long if he wants to survive this dangerous game.

@@

                A middle age man entered the huge room where his fellow companions waited, patiently. The room was dark, save for the light on the table where the other five was sitting. The man then took out a large envelope and spilled its contents on the table. "This is as much as I can gather from the officials before they get suspicious."

                One of them looked at him as the others started riffling through the contents. "So, you didn't meet any trouble coming here?"

                "None whatsoever. I left before they could even start asking questions." The man nodded at the contents. "What's your verdict?"

The men studied the contents of the envelop for a moment. They then looked at each other and nodded. There's no question now. They'd all thought of the same thing even though it sounded a little far fetched. "It is a new threat," one of them declared. "Which means we did the right thing by rebuilding the guardians."

The man shook his head. "I thought we would not need them anymore." He looked at the five men. "What do you propose we should do now?" he asked all of them but the question was directed towards the one in charge.

The leader, the one who had spoken earlier, glanced into the shadows in the room. "Now we made sure that the guardians are send to the proper authorities. They would need them anytime now."

The man sighed and nodded. "In that case, I'll make the necessary arrangement."

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                Quatre waited patiently for his contacts to arrive. The restaurant was nearly full because of the lunch hour but he found himself relaxed for the first time since Relena Darlian was being targeted. After an official visit to an L2's hospital this morning, Relena had decided that she would need some time away from the official business. And since Vincent had come to L2 with them, Relena decided it was time for her to spend the rest of the day with her old friend, alone, save for five Preventer's agents who had been stationed close by as to give the two a little privacy.

                The two had invited Quatre to join them but he declined after a call from Duke Kent Winteridge. He invited Quatre to have lunch with him and his companion. Winteridge had call it an opportunity to get to know the heir of the Winner's family. But Quatre knew that Winteridge would like to size up his main competitor, which was fine with Quatre since he's a little curious about the man.

                As he waited, Quatre's mind played hundreds of questions as to why, if the assassin was Kylie, she was targeting Relena again. He had thought that whatever transpired two years ago was forgotten, that she understood how important it was to protect Miss Relena. He knew that Treize's letter made it clear that Kylie should protect Relena. So what makes her changed her mind?

                Part of him also did not want to believe that the assassin was Kylie. If it was her, wouldn't she use her old codename, Treize's Revenge? Probably not, if this wasn't about Treize at all. Or what if there's a new player in the game. But Quatre was sure that the red rose was another mark that could be associated with Kylie. She had given him one before she disappeared. The same breed as the ones she left for Relena.

                And there's Heather. He didn't know much about the girl because of their short acquaintance. But there's something about her that seemed so familiar. Something that told him that he had seen or met her before. To satisfy his curiosity, Quatre had ran a check on her background. All of it seemed valid. She had grew up in a farming village in China and only left Earth a few months ago in search for a job. That's how she was employed by Kent Winteridge.

                Suddenly he found himself staring into a pair of winter blue eyes and nearly jumped. His first thought was danger but a second later, a familiar man came into his view. "Mr. Winner?" the man said. Quatre rose from his seat. "Duke Winteridge, it's a pleasure to have finally meet you, sir."

                "The pleasure all mine, Mr. Winner." They shook hands. Winteridge turned to his companion beside him. "This is my personal assistant, Heather. But I guess you've met her at the party."

                Quatre smiled and shook Heather's hand. "Yeah, we've met." He was curious at the relationship between them. The way Winteridge was staring at Heather was as if they were lovers. Heather, on the other hand, kept her distance as if she wanted nothing more than an employer-employee relationship with him. But Quatre couldn't blame Winteridge though. Heather was a great prize to catch.

                They settled down as a waiter came over with their menu. They made their orders and while waiting, they talked. They had a conversation about their past projects, complementing each other for their good work and avoided talking about the Project Jupiter, the very thing that made them rivals. And while they talked, Quatre found that Heather kept her silence, joining in the conversation when Winteridge or Quatre prompted her.

                As they were busy discussing about a possible future plan together, Winteridge spotted someone entering the restaurant. "Vice Foreign Minister Relena, Duke Dupree, fancy meeting you here," he greeted as Relena and Vincent were talking to the receptionist.

                The couple walked up to their table. "Duke Winteridge, Ambassador Winner," said Relena, then nodded at Heather, "Heather. We didn't know we'd be meeting you here." She returned Quatre's concern look with a reassuring smile, telling him that nothing happen to her while he was gone.

                "We thought we would stop by and have lunch here. I heard that the cuisine is excellent," Vincent said. He then looked over the tables dubiously. "I guess the tables are full and we were just leaving to find another restaurant."

                Winteridge quickly stopped them. "No. We cannot have the Vice Foreign Minister and her date cast away by a simple reason like that. It's not everyday the colonies are graced by Miss Relena's presence." He gestured at the remaining seat. "Please, join us."

                Vincent glanced at Quatre, uncertainly. He didn't want to intrude in Quatre's business affairs. But the blond young business man smiled. "Please, I don't mind," he said, gently. "We did plan to get to know each other, didn't we?"

                With that, Vincent nodded and pulled a seat next to Quatre for Relena. He then took one beside Heather. Winteridge signaled one of the waiter who came to their table with the menu. After both Vincent and Relena had placed their orders, the conversation resumed.

                A few minutes later, the food arrived. When the waiter left, Heather suddenly rose from her seat. "Excuse me for a second, gentlemen, Miss Relena." She then left, heading towards the ladies room. Quatre saw Winteridge's eyes following her.

                "Duke Winteridge," said Relena. "How well do you know Miss Leong?"

                Winteridge smiled. "Not well, I have to admit. She came to work with me about two months ago, after my old personal assistant retired." He glanced at her. "When she first came to my office, I know I have to hire her. There was something about her…" he trailed off. He then shook his head. "Anyway, she has some very excellent recommendations. So I thought I should hire her."

                "She seemed like a quiet sort," Vincent commented.

                Winteridge smiled. "Yes, she can sometimes be so warm and cold at the same time. She rarely talks about her family though."

                "Doesn't that bother you?" asked Relena.

                "No. I love mysteries and I even love it in a woman."

                Vincent grinned. "Sounds to me like you're in love with her."

                "You ought to know, Duke Dupree."

                Before Relena could ask what did he mean, there was a cracking sound and the window next to Quatre and Winteridge shattered into pieces. Reflexively, Quatre reached for Relena as Vincent and Winteridge dove under the table. There were screams from the other table as Quatre heard a series of running footsteps as the Preventers agents chasing after whoever the shooter was.

                A pair of hands helped him up. It was one of the Preventer agent who left behind to make sure they were all save. Vincent helped Relena up as Winteridge stared out. Quatre then went to the remains of the window and inspected it. 'Looks like someone really wants Relena dead,' he thought, frowning.

                Then, there's a sound of running footsteps as Heather appeared. Her face was deep with anxiety. "What happened?" When she saw the shattered window, she looked at them. "Is anyone hurt?" She turned to her employer. "Sir?"

                "I'm alright, Heather. Just shaken," he answered.

                The Preventer agent's comm chimed. "Got him?" he asked.

                "Lost him, sir."

                He nodded. "Ran a thorough sweep throughout the area." He glanced at Relena. "We will make sure the Vice Foreign Minister is send to safety." He signed off and turned to Quatre. "Ambassador Winner, will you be joining us or are you staying with your companions?" he asked, glancing at Winteridge and Heather.

                Quatre looked at Winteridge who said, "It's okay, Mr. Winner. We can continue our conversation some other time."

                "Thank you, Duke Winteridge. It was a pleasure meeting you." They shook hands and he turned to the Preventer agent. "Let's go."

                Then a waiter came over them. "Vice Foreign Minister Darlian?" he said. Relena turned to him. "Yes?" she answered. The waiter frowned and handed her a red rose. "Someone left this for you."

                Relena looked over the red rose and found a note attached to it. " '_You won't be missed again_.' " She handed Quatre the rose and turned to Vincent, who looked at her in deep concern. "I'm alright, Vincent." She turned to the Preventer agent. "Let's go."

                The Preventer agent took the rose from Quatre and nodded to his men. "Escort Vice Foreign Minister Darlian and her company to the limo." Relena turned to Winteridge and Heather. "I'm sorry your afternoon meal is spoilt. But it was a pleasure to meet you, Your Grace, Heather."

                Then they left.

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                When they reached Relena's room, they were surprised when the Preventer agent ushered them into the room without running a check on it first. But they found the answer later in the room. Both Relena and Quatre were surprised to find a woman in the room.

                "Lady Une!" they chorused. Then two more people appeared from behind her.

                "Trowa! Duo!" said Quatre, very glad to see them. But Trowa and Duo were looking at him, grimly.

                Lady Une looked at them. "Vice Foreign Minister, Ambassador," she said, signaling her agent to closed the door. The agent acknowledged her order and closed the door. He stood guard outside the room. Lady Une turned to Relena. "Glad to see you unharmed, Miss Relena or else I would have a lot to answer for when your brother gets back." She gestured towards a seat. "Please be seated, you two."

                Relena settled down but Quatre remained standing. Instead, he walked up to his two friends. "Really glad to see you guys again," he said, smiling. But when they didn't say a thing, he frowned. "What is it? What did you find in L1, Trowa?"

                Instead of answering, Duo grabbed his shoulders. "Why didn't you tell us that Kylie was targeting Relena? Are you trying to protect her or something?" he asked, his voice held a trace of anxiety Quatre had never heard before. He turned to Trowa who also looked at him. Concern clearly written in his eyes.

                "H… how did you find that out?" he asked.

                "When Lady Une showed us the reports, we piece it all together," Trowa answered, knowing this was the thing Quatre kept from him earlier. "It wasn't that hard to figure out Kylie was behind this. Although she no longer used the name Treize's Revenge, the red rose and how the assassin slipped of the authorities' fingers are conspicuous enough. Besides, she's the only one who ever gave Heero a hard time to find."

                Seeing that his friends had already figured things out, he looked away. "I didn't tell you because I don't want to make a mistake. We don't have enough evidence to prove that Kylie is indeed the assassin."

                "But we have enough evidence to be suspicious of her," said Duo. "That girl is a lunatic and dangerous. You could've gotten yourself killed or even worse, Relena too and we're the ones who have to answer to Heero."

                Quatre then glanced at Lady Une, who was staring at her hands. Duo then remembered what Kylie meant to the head of the Preventer and so he quieted. Quatre then walked over to Lady Une but she broke the silence first. "When I first heard that Miss Relena was being targeted, I thought that the local authorities could handle it." She looked at Relena. "But when I heard about the threatening notes and the roses, I know I have to step in. Kylie is my responsibility and if she, indeed, have turned against us then it's up to me to do something about it."

                "What do we do now?" asked Quatre, slumped onto the sofa. He'd never felt so weary.

                Trowa looked at Relena. "What's your plan for tomorrow?"

                "We're going to L3 tomorrow for a formal visit in one of the local universities," she answered. "I was suppose to open their new south wing and gave a lecture on pacifism to the students and the faculty."

                Trowa shook his head. "That won't do. You'll be out in the open and a very welcoming target to the assassin." He purposely left Kylie's name because he knew they still lacking in evidence.

                "Then you have to cancel your appearance, Relena," Duo suggested.

                Relena rose. "I can't do that."

                "What! Have you lost your mind or something? Kylie could easily get you at such a crowd."

                "This is an official visit, Duo. Not a political rally," she argued. "I've accepted their invitation and promised to come and give a talk. I cannot back down on that."

                "But…"

                "I promised the human race a world of total pacifism. What would the people say if I can't even keep my word to attend to an invitation?"

                Seeing Duo was about to argue some more, Trowa decided to intervene. "Alright, you go to the university as scheduled. Quatre will be accompany you, right?" When Quatre nodded, Trowa continued. "Good. That would leave us one Gundam pilot flanking Relena."

                "What do you propose we should do?" asked Duo, sore at being outvoted.

                Trowa looked at him. "We're working in the background, helping the Preventer agents." He turned to Lady Une. "Will that be okay?"

                Lady Une nodded. "We would be glad to have two Gundam pilots working with us."

                "One question," said Duo. "Where's Wu Fei? Isn't he a Preventer agent too?"

                Lady Une cleared her throat before answering. "Uh, Wu Fei is on another important mission for the Preventer."

                "What! What's more important than maintaining peace between Earth and the colonies?"

                "Ensuring the survival of the entire human race."

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                Kylie stared into the computer screen. The previous attack had been a close call. Too close for comfort. Now she was preparing for her next plan of action. She knew where Relena Darlian was heading next. It just a matter of planning her next move. As soon as she got back, she found herself accessing some highly secured file and a moment later, the blueprint of the university flashed on the screen.

                'Got it. This is the last attempt. I got to make it count,' she thought, studying the information. A second later she found exactly what she was looking for. A possible spot for the next strike. A smile played across her lips. "Perfect. This time, I'm sure I won't miss."

                Then, there's a knock on the door.

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                The students and the member faculty listened and hold on to every word as Relena gave them a lecture on the nature of total pacifism. Each of them was enthralled by her belief in total pacifism as well as her charismatic appearance. Duo found himself listening to her as well despite the possible danger. He and the rest of the people in the large hall were very amazed at how much a young woman could achieved in her life. How she had lead the world into this days of peace. In other words, Relena Darlian had achieved something farther than any normal people could achieved. And that was the main reason why people idolized Relena and wanted to achieve what she had achieved.

                But then Duo had to remind himself that he had achieved something too. If it wasn't for him and Deathscythe, the human race wouldn't be having this peace, though no one had known what he and the other Gundam pilots had sacrificed to ensure the well-being of the human race. And the fact that they were still working their butts off securing the peace between Earth and the colonies.

                Duo then shifted his gaze on Quatre who was sitting next to the podium. Although his face was calm, Duo could see that the blond pilot was keeping his eyes all over the room, scanning for possible threat. On occasions, he would glance at Trowa, telling him that he hadn't seen anything strange. Watching Quatre, Duo couldn't help but wondering why he was still defending Kylie. The girl had been all but friendly towards them especially Quatre. And all the evidence was certainly pointing at her. Duo could never trust people who do not laugh especially if they never even smile. And the fact that Kylie reminded him so much of Heero made him disliked her even more. Of all the Gundam pilots, Duo was never in good terms with Heero.

                Then it was finished. Quatre rose from his seat as Relena made her way back to her seat. The host of the event went to the podium to give their thanks to Relena and then the hall hummed as some of the students and faculty members exited the hall. A large number of them went to the front stage to meet Relena personally. Duo saw Quatre stood near Relena as to provide as much security as he could. Then Duo saw a Preventer agent came towards the two of them and ushered them towards the exit while some agents keep the crowd at bay.

                Duo then caught Trowa's eyes who signaled him to join him. They then made their exit through the back door.

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                The crowd was immense. Each was trying to catch a glimpse of Relena Darlian, former Queen of the former World Nation. Relena waved at the crowd as Quatre tore his eyes away from the crowd and managed a comment. "They loved you. You kept them captivated with your speech," he said as they were being led towards the limousine.

                Relena spared him a glance. "Yeah well, let's hope I can use the same charm on the Earth Sphere Unified Nation's next board meeting. I still need to convince some of the representatives that the renegade soldiers are not to be punished for their crimes. Especially you Gundam pilots."

                "The matter is far from over, huh?" he asked, sympathetically. He didn't care what happen to him and knew the others didn't care about it as well. But what concerned him was the fate of the guerilla soldiers who were just turning their lives around from the endless fighting and bloodshed. Which was why the Project Jupiter was important to him. If he could show to the representatives of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation what the renegade soldiers could achieve without fighting, maybe they would gave the soldiers a chance to start anew. And then, all of humanity can finally lived in peace.

                Relena, mistaken his silence for concern for his fate, said, "Don't worry, I will do everything I can to oppose MacGarth from convicting you guys." But before Quatre could correct her, there was a strange movement in the crowds as something or someone hit him and Relena. "Down!" he heard that person shouted as Relena, Quatre and that someone slammed onto the ground.

                At that very same time, someone in the crowd was struck and there was a series of screams. The Preventers tried to keep the panicking crowd at bay as to avoid a stampede as some of the agents tried to figure out where the sniper had struck from. Relena turned her head, trying to see what was going on when her eyes saw an agent examining a body of a young man, an arrow was struck into his heart.

                She then felt the person who knocked her down turned his head towards the body and cursed. He then glanced up and got on his knees. "Damn it!" he said in a deep voice. Relena immediately recognised the voice. "Heero?" she said, raising to her elbow.

                "Stay down!" Heero commanded. He then jumped to his feet and started to run before any of the Preventer agents could stop him. "Damn it, Kylie! What had happened?" she heard him growled before he disappeared into the crowd.

                Then, she heard Duo and Trowa calling for them as they appeared from the crowd. They both help her and Quatre up and then examining the area. "It was Heero," she told them. "Heero saved us." Quatre nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I heard his voice."

                "Yeah, but I'd like to know where the assassin was shooting from," said Duo, looking around them. Suddenly Trowa tensed and pointed. "There on top of that building," he said. Sure enough, they saw a figure standing on top of a nearby building. The wind blew her hair gently as she stared down at them. They then saw her smashed her fist on the ledge and then turned away.

                "Kylie," Quatre whispered, disbelief.

                "It's Kylie! I'm sure of it," Duo declared. "Let's get her. " He took off.

                Quatre started to go off after Duo when Trowa stopped him. "Stay here. Protect Relena," he said and then he ran after Duo. Seeing he had no choice, Quatre stayed, keeping his eyes on the spot where Kylie had disappeared.

@@

                "I can't believe it! "Duo said, gritting his teeth as they went up the stairs to the roof. "After what we have done for her, helping her get out from the hospital, she betrayed us."

                Trowa continued running up the stairs, not saying anything. When he reached the top staircase, he pushed the door open and ran out only to stop abruptly, making Duo collided with his back "What?" Duo started but closed his mouth when he saw a body lying on the floor next to a rifle.

                "That figure we saw on the roof. It was Kylie, right?" asked Trowa, bending to examine the body.

                "Of course. Even Quatre confirms it."

                "Just checking," he turned over the body. It was a young man with short black hair. His throat was slit. "We didn't see this guy, right?" Duo took a good look at him and shook his head. "No way. I only saw one person on this roof and it was Kylie. No doubt about it."

                "Then who is this dead guy?"

@@

                "Kylie killed her own accomplice?" asked Relena, disbelief. They were all back in Relena's suite, discussing the new turn of event. Duo shrugged. "Well, that's what Trowa and I are able to gather from the small evidence she left behind."

                Lady Une frowned. "Kylie wouldn't take an accomplice. She's trained to do things on her own."

                "Well, she might be recruiting now," said Duo.

                "But why kill her accomplice?" Quatre asked.

                Duo shrugged. "I don't know. That's maybe the price for failure."

                "One question," said Relena. "Why was the man had a rifle with him? The student was struck by an arrow."

                "Kylie might be favoring herself a new toy." Seeing Relena's dubious look, Duo shrugged. "I don't know. But the reports from the forensics did say that the fingerprint on the rifle belongs to Kylie. Right?" He turned to Lady Une who nodded. "There you go."

                Quatre was unconvinced. Even when they all returned to their rooms, he stayed up and stared at the notes Kylie left for Relena. He knew something was amiss but he didn't know what. Questions played in his mind but he couldn't answer not even one. Why was Kylie targeting Relena? Why killed her accomplice? And why Heero had come to save them and not facing Kylie before she pulled the trigger?

                As he stared at the notes, he suddenly thought of something. The notes though had a threatening tone to it, never said anything about her targeting Miss Relena. He reread the notes:

                '_You will be dead_.'

                '_Thank your lucky stars for your knight_.'

                '_You won't be missed again_.'

                These three notes all carried some sort of threat and also a warning. Suddenly, a thought struck him. 'What if Kylie was trying to warn them? What if she was trying to protect Relena? That would explain the dead body on the top roof. He could be the assassin,' he thought. 'But what happen to the crossbow that fire the arrow? Why the secrecy?'

                More questions played in his mind but he found himself too tired and lacking clue to answer any of them. But one thing he knew, Kylie was the only one who could answer his questions. And he knew exactly how he could get the answers.

                Provided if he's right about Kylie.

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                Heero was on the computer when the door swung open. Without turning to see who it was, he said, "Took you long enough to get back here. What happened? You missed."

                Kylie closed the door and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 11 at night, ten hours after the incident at the L3's National University. After she got off the roof, she had decided to lay low in the sewers, waiting until the authorities abandoned the area. And then she made her way back to the apartment they rented. "Sorry. Got a little caught up," she said, slipping off her long overcoat. A searing pain went through her spine as she cried out.

                Hearing that, Heero jumped from his seat and caught her before she fell. It was then he discovered that an arrow was struck through her shoulder. He helped her on a chair and examined the wound. "What happened?" he asked, seeing how pale she looked. Since she had waited for ten hours to get to their hideout, she had lost quite a large amount of blood.

                "I got careless," she answered, gritting her teeth as Heero broke the arrow head.

                Heero reached for some clean cloth and said to her, "Hold on. This is going to hurt." Without waiting for an answer, he tugged the shaft free. Kylie stifled a cry but couldn't help herself from letting out a gasp. Then, Heero used the cloths to stop the bleeding and then examined the wound again. "This requires some stitches," he told her.

                "Are you any good at it?"

                "Done it a few times before."

                Kylie nodded. "Do it then." When Heero was about to open his mouth, she quickly said, "Don't bother asking me to take off my top. Tear it if you have to but I'm not sitting around half naked."

                "If you say so," Heero said and tore the area near the wound. As Kylie held on the cloth on the wound, he sterilized a needle and then started to work. "We don't have anything for the pain," he told her.

                "That's fine. I don't feel them any more," she said. While Heero was working, there was a moment of a long silence. "There were two, Heero."

                Heero looked up from his handiwork, surprised. "Huh?"

                "There was another assassin on that roof and she was the one who shot me with a crossbow. That's why Relena and Quatre barely made it."

                "I see."

                There was silence as both considered this new turn of event. How could've they missed this new assassin? "Looks like Treize's Revenge is out of the game for now," she said, the pain and fatigue finally settled in. "That means Heather Leong will take the center stage from here on."

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	3. Chapter 3: Rebirth

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!☺

**TIMELINE:** The story mostly takes place after Endless Waltz. To be more precise, one year after Endless Waltz. That means two years after my very own Treize's Revenge series.

**NOTE**: There are references to the Gundam Wing movie, Endless Waltz in this chapter. So, you will have to watch it to know what really happen or else you'll be confused.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST III: REBIRTH. 

By Arayelle Lynn.

                When the artificial sunlight lit the room, Kylie was already up and about. Though still weak from the loss of blood from the previous night's ordeal, she knew that the matter was still unsettled and she needed to find out some things. As she sat in front of the computer terminal, she spared a glance at another room on her left and found that it was empty and the bed was already made. That alone told her that Heero was up before dawn to start working and find the assassin.

                Kylie sighed, remembering when all these things started. After she had killed Parkins, she had run a trace to find his lair. There, she had gone through all his things to find out more about this assassination, who was behind it and most of all the identity of other assassins he had hired. Unfortunately, Parkins didn't left much for her to make sense of things but from what she could gather, he had recruited seven assassins, excluding herself to assassinate the target.

                And from the information she gathered, she was able to identify and locate some of the assassin. Some of them were known to her as she had taken the precaution to get to know a large number of them when she started her life as an assassin. A few of those Parkins hired had had a very good reputation, almost rivaled to her in skills. She knew there and then that she cannot handle all seven assassins and, at the same time, making sure the target intended remained safe, so she opted to locate Heero and recruit his help. Convincing Heero to help her had been easier than finding his current location as he hadn't made it known to others. But Kylie managed to find him a few days later and he jumped at the chance to help when she told him what was going on. Well, after he had a gun pointed at her temple.

                Since then, they worked together. Before the end of last year, they had located and destroyed three of the assassins before they could even made their move. The other four, who were slightly better and had established an excellent reputation were even harder to locate. So, they both decided to change their tactics by waiting for the four to show themselves. But that would leave the target out in the open. So, they decided that they should take turns; while one of them waited for the assassins to show, the other would stay as close as he or she can to the target to ensure safety.

                It was Heero who had killed the one from the ballroom. While Kylie stayed on at the party, Heero was following the assassin back to his lair and killed him. Heero also took care of the second assassin as Kylie was busy posing as one of the security guard. But the third attempt had been close, too close as the assassin was well aware that there were people who were hunting down the assassins Parkins had hired and killed them off. He nearly slipped out of Heero's grasp and if she hadn't appeared to help Heero, they would've lost him. Since there were too many Preventer agents, Kylie had to leave Heero to take care of the body so her absence won't be missed by much. Kylie didn't know where Heero had stashed the body and she didn't bother to find out from him.

                However, this fourth attack had really taken her by surprise. While Heero was busy guarding over the target in the crowds, Kylie was given the job to eliminate the supposedly last of the assassins. She had managed to sneak up on him while he was ready to pull the trigger. Then it was over, or so she thought. Then, she saw something passed through at the corner of her eyes, heading towards the target. She turned, only to be awarded by an arrow that went through her shoulder. Rather surprised by the appearance of the new assassin, Kylie was thrown back and only caught a glimpse of the retreating form. But that was enough to tell her that the new player was a woman, maybe as young as she was.

                And after making sure who was hit by the arrow, Kylie had dragged herself off the rooftop before Duo Maxwell and Trowa Barton could catch her. But as she ran, her main concern was on the new assassin, and how good she really was to be able to sneak up on _her_.

                Kylie reread all of the information she had gathered from Parkins regarding the assassins he had hired. So far, she found nothing that described or indicated who this new player was. Whoever she was, maybe Parkins had kept her a secret or maybe she had an entirely new story.

                She sighed, rubbing her sore eyes from staring at the computer screen for so long. Then something wet grazed her thigh as she heard a whine. It was Adin, Heero's pet wolf-puppy. Heero had brought him along for god-knows-why.  "What? You hungry?" she asked, rising from her seat to prepare some food. It was almost twelve in the afternoon and she wondered how Heero was doing.

                Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Kylie's head whipped as she reached for her gun. She and Heero had established a secret knock of their own so they could identify each other and that was not it. "Who is it?" she asked, as Adin started to growl.

                "It's me."

                Kylie frowned as she recognized the voice. She hadn't expected him to come even though she's aware that he knew her address. Putting her gun away but within reach, she straightened her wrinkled bathrobe, preparing herself for a convincing charade and opened the door. "Sir, why are you here?" she asked as soon as Duke Winteridge came into view. She felt herself turning into a completely different person.

                "Can I come in?" he asked. Without waiting for her to say yes, he stepped inside. "I'm sorry to have barged in on you like this since I know it's your day off, but I need you to do me a favor?" he said, then stopped when Adin was growling at him. He turned to her. "That's a beautiful puppy. Could you call it off me?"

                Kylie turned to the puppy and met its eyes. She nodded, signaling that he should stand ready. Since the pup had been leaving with Heero for so long, he understood a few non-verbal commands. "Down, Adin," Kylie added just for an effect. Adin stood in attention but watched Winteridge carefully.

                She turned to Winteridge. "What do you want me to do, sir?" she asked.

                He came over and put his hands on her shoulders. Kylie had to use all the self-control she had not to wince as the pain from the wound shot up her spine. Or not to grab his hands and break it, something she had wanted to do since the first time Winteridge had taken an interest in her. But for the sake of this mission, she buried all her violent urge whenever she was with him.

                "I want you to meet Ambassador Winner this evening," he answered. Kylie was surprised. "He called up the office this morning, looking for you so I set up a meeting for the two of you," he explained.

                "What! Why me, sir?" she asked. She was mildly surprised by this. Did Quatre suspect something? Is this a trap the other Gundam pilots set to get her? When she realized Winteridge was speaking, she put her thoughts aside.

                "I want you to find out anything that could help me win Project Jupiter. Anything, including his plans for Project Jupiter," Winteridge said. Kylie nodded, knowing this man thought about nothing else but money. And maybe how to get her under the sack, which would _never_ happen.

                "But why me?" she asked.

                Winteridge trailed his fingers along her cheeks. Again Kylie had to hold the urge to shoot him in the head. "Because it seems like Mr. Winner has taken a liking to my beautiful Heather," he said, his face closing in on hers for a kiss. Kylie quickly turned her head away and detached herself from him.

                "Alright, sir. I'll do it," she said. Better face the Gundam pilots than being touch by this disgusting man. "Where and when?" she asked, heading towards the door.

                Seeing that his advances failed, Winteridge walked up to the door. He would try to win her again. As he was passing her, he handed her a piece of paper. "Here's the address Mr. Winner gave." He winked at her. "I'm counting on you."

                When he was gone, so was the Heather Leong persona. Again, Kylie's hand went to the gun, which was well hidden under her robe. And again she fought the urge to shoot him. Then remembering the latest event, Kylie quickly went to the bathroom to clean herself up. She knew that her meeting with Quatre Winner would mark the end of something. But she didn't know what.

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                Lady Une sighed as she stared out the window. She wished for countless of times now that Treize Khushrenada would be here, telling her what to do. She felt lost and helpless to do anything when it came to Kylie. The girl had been too independent and wild for her to control and she wished Treize were there so he could decide the appropriate plan of action to contain Kylie.

                'Thank god, Mariemaia is safe on Earth and that she's not giving the world any trouble than she already did once,' she silently thanked. Her thoughts went to the little girl, now going to be 8 years old, who was waiting for her return in Treize's mansion. Though her job as a Preventer required her immediate attention, Lady Une never forgotten about Mariemaia. She treated the red haired girl as if she was her own daughter, knowing Mariemaia didn't have anyone else except her and Kylie. If only Kylie would return to them, then she would complete Treize's little family.

                Realizing she was day dreaming too much, Lady Une decided to concentrate on the matter at hand. Due to what had taken place the day before and the discovery that Kylie might be involved, they had cancelled Relena's appearances for the day and rescheduled them for later. Now, Relena was in her room, handling a politic affairs that needed her attention while Quatre was nowhere to be found. Lady Une stayed with Relena while Trowa and Duo went to try and locate Kylie's whereabouts. Or Heero's.

                Suddenly there was a knock on the door as a Preventer agent opened the door. He saluted. "Ma'am," he said. "Preventer agent Earth is here to see you," he announced. Lady Une was surprised. 'Wu Fei? Here?' she thought. Realizing that the agent was waiting for her acknowledgement, she nodded. "Send him in."

                A few seconds later, Wu Fei stepped into the suite. "It's nice to know you're safe. What happened when we lost you?" she asked, gesturing him to sit. Wu Fei settled down before her.

                "Shuttle problem," he answered. "Should've been the one who ran the diagnostic on my shuttle." 

                Lady Une nodded. "Sorry to hear about that."

                "But it was a good thing," said Wu Fei. "Or else I wouldn't have stumbled upon Zechs and Noin."

                That caught her attention. "You found them? Are they here?"

                He shook his head. "No. They have another thing in their mind. Something dire to us all."

                "Alright," said Lady Une. She trusted Zechs and Noin. If they say that they're checking something important, it would mean that something could be very dangerous. "Did you reached Pluto?" she asked. To her surprise, he shook his head.

                "No need. Zechs and Noin already did it for me," he said, reaching inside his pocket. He took out a disc and handed it to her. "I think this will require your immediate attention and the President's." Lady Une took it as Wu Fei looked around him. "When I heard someone was targeting Relena Darlian, I quickly made my way here."

                "Then you haven't been in contact with Sally yet."

                "No one knows I'm back."

                Lady Une nodded. "In that case, you should call headquarters and inform Sally that you're back. She's in charge in locating you and Zechs and Noin. I'm sure she would like to know that all of you are safe."

                "I'll do that right after you fill me in with what happened here."

                Before she could do so, someone else entered the room. Trowa nodded when he saw Wu Fei, acknowledging his presence while Duo yawned and slumped onto the sofa next to Wu Fei, not seeing who was sitting there. He then suddenly jumped to his feet, after seeing Wu Fei's serious face. "Sheesh, Wu Fei. You could've at least say hi," he said after regaining his wits.

                Wu Fei ignored Duo and turned to Trowa. "Heard you could use some help," he said. Trowa nodded. "Thanks. Your help will be greatly appreciated." He then turned to Lady Une and shook his head. "Nothing. We couldn't locate either of them."

                "I see," said Relena, who had just walked out from her room and settled next to Lady Une. She nodded at Wu Fei. "Nice to see you again." Wu Fei shrugged.

                "Likewise."

                "So far we drew a blank as to where Heero and Kylie are hiding," Trowa reported. Hearing the name of his duel partner, Wu Fei looked up. Trowa looked at him. "Maybe we should fill you in so you might see something we missed."

                Wu Fei leaned back as he listened.

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                Again, Quatre found himself waiting in the restaurant. But this time, his mind was playing strategies on how to get the truth out from a very secretive young woman. He discarded a lot of strategies, finding them inappropriate that at last, he decided on a direct approach.

                Suddenly, a shadow was cast upon him as a voice said, "Mr. Winner?"

                He looked up to see the person he was waiting for. "Hello, Kylie."

                The girl before her looked at him, puzzled. "I'm Heather, Mr. Winner. You and I have talked about this."

                "We did but I'm not sure that's who you really are," said Quatre, rising up. "No. You're Kylie Rayden Khushrenada. Treize's adopted daughter. I'm sure of it now more than ever."

                Quatre saw her eyes hardened as she started to turn away. "You're crazy," she said, walking out of the restaurant. He quickly ran after her and caught her when they were outside.

                "Why are you targeting Miss Relena?" he asked. That made her stop.

                "I'm not the one targeting her," she said, her back on him. But her appearance changed. He was right, Heather Leong was Kylie Khushrenada. He came closer to her. "In that case, you _are_ protecting her. You and Heero," he said, gently. "Those note, the picture and the roses. They are all warnings, right?"

                Then to his surprise, Kylie's body tensed as if she was holding back an uncontrollable rage. She turned to face him, her face cold. "You haven't figure it all out, have you?" she hissed. Her voice barely reached the level of a whisper. "Those notes weren't meant for Relena Darlian."

                Surprised, Quatre took a step back.

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                When Trowa was finished, Wu Fei was deep in thought. In his mind, he understood that it was a natural thing for them to suspect Kyle Rayden, the former assassin who had once jeopardized Relena's life. And the fact that Kyle Rayden or Kylie Khushrenada kept appearing at the scene of the crime made it as though she was the one responsible.

                But Wu Fei thought there were more to this than meets the eye. As one of the two who had dueled her before, he more or less understood what she was thinking and why she did the things she done. It made him more attuned towards the reason of her actions. It made him doubt that she was their enemy.

                And by the look on Trowa's face, Wu Fei could see that he also had his doubts. But since Quatre's life was endangered when the assassin was targeting Relena Darlian, he might be inclined to believe that the assassin was Kylie Khushrenada.

                "Let me see them, please," he finally said after a brief silence. Knowing exactly what Wu Fei meant, Trowa showed him the threatening notes Kylie had left in Relena's room. Wu Fei studied the note carefully and then looked up. "Didn't you say that the notes were accompanied by some red roses?"

                Duo shrugged. "Yeah, but we can't very well keep them fresh, can we?" he said. Seeing Wu Fei's stern look, he raised his hands in defense. "Hey, sorry. That was a jest. No, the lab has it. They're still trying to determine where the roses came from. Maybe then we can find Kylie."

                Ignoring Duo, Wu Fei looked at Trowa. "Where's Quatre?" he asked. There was a note of urgency in his calm voice. Trowa looked at Lady Une, who shrugged. "I haven't seen him. He didn't come here." He then looked at Duo. "Nope. Haven't seen him." He paused. "I went to his room earlier but he wasn't in."

                Trowa returned to Wu Fei. "I checked on him early this morning but he wasn't in. So I thought he was at Relena's room," he said, glancing at Relena who shook her head. She hadn't seen him either.

                "Dang it!" Wu Fei growled, hitting his fist on the armrest. He had finally understood the mystery.

                "Hey, control yourself, okay," said Duo. "The one who was being targeted is here with us, remember. So we don't need to fret over who's not here." Again, Wu Fei ignored him and looked at Lady Une and Trowa. "Don't you guys understand the meaning? This notes are carrying warning for us."

                "What!" Trowa grabbed the notes and reread them. Then he nodded his head. "You're right, once you looked at it in another way." Duo turned to Wu Fei. "Yeah, but what does that have anything to do with Quatre?"

                "Plenty. Don't you get it?" asked Wu Fei. He looked at the faces of his companions. Only Trowa looked back at him in horror while the others shook their heads, not knowing what he was talking about. "The notes weren't meant for Relena Darlian. It was for someone else."

                With that, Duo's jaw hung open as Relena gasped. Lady Une was startled but it was Trowa who voiced their fears. "Quatre."

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                "It was for me?" Quatre voiced his thoughts. He shook his head. "No, it can't be."

                Kylie squared her shoulder. "Believe it, blondie. I was one of the assassins who had been hired to kill you."

                "Assassins?" he said, disbelief. "There were more?"

                But before Kylie could explain, there was a cracking sound as something struck him. As he fell to the ground, he could see Kylie's deeply concerned face as she tried to get to him. But she too slow. His last thought was the fear in her eyes. And the world became dark and empty.

                Kylie caught Quatre before he fell to the ground. She examined him and found a bullet hole in his heart. By that time, his blood was pouring out like a leaking water pipe and she applied pressure on the wound with her hand. She looked up to the crowd, which was already gathering around. But none were doing something helpful.

                Quickly she snapped. "Call the medic now! Ambassador Winner has been shot." Realizing who it was in her arms, a man nodded and went inside the restaurant. Kylie looked around her, furious with her sloppiness. She should have thought that the assassin will be watching Quatre, waiting for the right moment to strike. But instead she had brought him out in the open and let him distract her. 

                In that moment of urgency, she thought about nothing but what she would do to make the assassin pay if Quatre didn't make it.

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                Trowa, Wu Fei, Duo and Relena rushed into the hospital only to find the most wanted person standing in front of the operation room. "You!" Duo cried, storming towards her. "What did you do to Quatre? Is this how you repay him after what he has done for you?"

                "Can it, Duo," said another voice. They turned to find Heero standing near the entrance. He obviously had been waiting for a while. "Kylie is not the enemy. She was the one who has been protecting Quatre."

                Duo glared at her. "Yeah, well. She did a very good job at it."

                "At least she managed to stop some of the assassins," said Heero. "That's a lot more than what you achieved."

                Duo was about to let out some witty remarks when the operation room swung open. A surgeon stepped out of the room as the six of them looked at him. "Is there any of the patient's immediate family at present?" he asked, looking around the group. Wu Fei stepped forward. "No, but I have this," he said, taking out an official letter written by Lady Une to give him the authority.

                The surgeon looked at it and nodded. "Good enough." He paused, studying their faces. "He's fine. The bullet missed his heart, barely."

                "Can we see him?" asked Relena.

                "Well, Mr. Winner is in recovery right now. You'll have to wait until he was being transferred to a room." He glanced at Wu Fei. "I will send a nurse to get you once he's finally settled." With that, he left. Wu Fei saw Relena and Duo let out a sigh of relief as a look of relief crossed over Trowa's face.

                They waited for an hour. Each waited in silence as they were still trying to recover from the fact that one of them nearly died.

                "As you can see, Quatre was the intended target," said Heero, breaking the silence.

                Relena turned to Heero. "What's going on, Heero? Why is there someone who wants Quatre dead?"

                "Someone was hiring assassins, including Kylie, to kill Quatre." Heero glanced at her. "She came to me to assist her in finding the assassins and the person who wants him dead."

                "Assassins?"

                Suddenly, Kylie pushed herself off the wall she was leaning against and started towards the exit. "Hey, where are you going? We haven't finish with you yet?" said Duo, starting towards her.

                "Let her go," said Heero. "She's not going anywhere."

                Kylie gave Heero a nod of thanks before going through the exit. The others then turned to Heero for the whole story. But Heero nodded at the approaching nurse. "Let's get to Quatre's room first. He would want to hear this."

                They found Quatre, lying on the bed. He smiled weakly as they entered. "Hey, guys. That was some surprise, huh? She told me I was the real target." He then saw Heero. "Hi, Heero. Long time no see."

                "How are you doing, Quatre?" asked Heero.

                "A little drugged but I'm fine," he said. "What happened?"

                "You were shot," Heero answered. "Since the medic was too late in reaching the destination, Kylie drove you to the hospital."

                Quatre nodded. "I remember that. You were there too. You hold me," he said. Suddenly, Duo went over him and gave Quatre a gentle hug. "Never, ever scared me like that, okay?" he reprimanded. "What were you doing wondering around by yourself in the streets?"

                "Sorry. I didn't know I was the target," he answered, touched by his friend's concern. Even Trowa was looking at him with deep concern. "Well, at least until Kylie told me I was." He looked around. "Where is she?"

                "She has to go, Quatre," Heero answered, gently. "She needs to give her statement."

                "Well, Heero. Are you going to tell us what's going on or not?" asked Wu Fei. Heero turned to Quatre. "Think you are well enough to hear the story?" he asked. The Sandrock pilot nodded.

                "I want to hear it too," said a new voice. Lady Une slipped into the room. When everyone had settled, Heero told them what happened.

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                "So, Kylie's been protecting Quatre all along," said Trowa when Heero was finished. "And you two pretended that it was Relena who is being targeted." Heero nodded. 

"Yes, that's the only thing we could do. If we gave Quatre a direct warning, the assassins would've discovered our intentions and we would never have found them. Kylie and I thought it is best for us to send warning letters through Relena since Quatre will be staying close to her. We thought with the security tightened around Relena, they would be able to protect Quatre too, long enough for the two of us to find the assassins and kill them."

"That was pretty risky, you know," said Wu Fei. "Because you want to keep Quatre save, you've almost jeopardize Relena's life."

Heero glanced at Relena. "I know. But Quatre is becoming a quite influential individual among the colonies. The leaders of the colonies looked him up as the one who would replace his pacifist father, one who could act as the liaison between Earth and the colonies." He looked at Quatre. "They need a young representative. The Earth has Relena Darlian and the colonies feel they should have you."

"One question," said Duo, raising his hand. "Why kill Quatre?"

Heero shook his head. "We don't know. We still haven't figured out who is hiring the assassin." He looked away. "That's what Kylie is doing right now. She's checking out a possible suspect."

"Who?" asked Quatre. When Heero gave him a look he realized who it was. "Winteridge? Why would he want to kill me?"

It was Trowa who answered. "Project Jupiter, right?"

Heero nodded. "Project Jupiter."

"That's ridiculous. Why would anyone kill a rival just because of a project?"

"Money is a powerful motive, Quatre," Trowa reminded him. "You're his main rival in getting Project Jupiter and he wants you out of the way."

"And Winteridge is the only one with enough money to pay the assassin 6 million credits for your head," said Heero. Seeing Quatre paled, he continued, "Kylie and I have done a reference check on who are the possible suspects who might want you dead. Aside from MacGarth," He glanced at Relena. "Winteridge is the only person who fit the profile. We didn't suspect MacGarth because he doesn't need you dead to destroy us Gundam pilots. He could easily try to convince the other representatives to find and execute us. And besides, he doesn't have any idea you're a Gundam pilot."

"So, that leaves Winteridge," Heero continued. "But to make sure it is him, Kylie went to work with him, posing as someone else. But so far, he hasn't done anything to tie himself to the assassins."

"So, it could also be someone else all together, right?" asked Quatre.

Heero nodded. "Seems like it."

Duo yawned. "Well, that's okay. At least it's all over. Heero got our last assassin, right?"

Hearing silence, he turned to the Wing Zero pilot. "Right?" he repeated his question. Heero looked at him and shook his head. "No, it's not over. The assassin got away before I could even get to her." He glanced at Quatre. "I had to abandon my hunt when you were shot."

"Don't worry," said Trowa. "This time, you have all of us helping you out."

Duo shook his head. "I will only help if that girl is out."

"Duo!" Relena and Quatre chorused.

"Sorry, guys. I can't work with someone I don't trust. And I trust that girl even less than a mouse trust a hungry cat."

"Why not?" asked Lady Une. "She's fought with you before, remember."

"Yeah, well, I need her to clear up a few things," said Duo. "Like where was she when Dekim Barton relaunch his mad scheme. We could've use her help at the time."

At that, Trowa looked at Heero. "She was there," Heero answered, quietly. Duo and Quatre looked at him, surprised while Wu Fei nodded. "Yeah, she was there alright." Lady Une stared at the two of them. "You saw her too," she said as Relena whipped her head towards the older woman.

Heero nodded and looked at Trowa. He knew Trowa had also saw Kylie during the chaos. But he didn't know she made herself known to Wu Fei and Lady Une too. Duo, Quatre and Relena watched the others exchanged glances. "I guess we have to make room for more stories," said Duo settling down on Quatre's bed.

Instead of telling them his story, Heero turned to Trowa. "You should go first. I think you're the one who first saw her." Trowa nodded and looked at the others, especially Wu Fei. "As most of you know, I'd manage to infiltrate into the Mariemaia Army only to be captured by Wu Fei. Dekim then gave me two choices, to serve him or die. I chose the former, thinking I could somehow stop his mad plan."

"While Dekim was busy directing his men to prepare their descent on Earth, I was busy preparing for my own escape."

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_After Colony 196._

                Trowa Barton walked casually along the corridor. Most of the Mariemaia Army were busy boarding the shuttles that would take them to Earth and rejoin their main forces. But Trowa had another agenda. And to put that agenda into good use, he had to secure his escape. And since the hangars in L3 X18999 were mostly bursting with activities, he chose the fourth hanger as his means of escape. It was because the hangar only store small shuttles which would not be practical to transfer more than 5 soldiers to Earth. However, there's still the matter of the guards Dekim put in the hangar to secure the transport. But Trowa knew that he could take them on if he had to. And one thing for sure, he had to hurry up if he were to meet some old friends.

                As he was approaching the hangar, he immediately knew that something was amiss. The hangar was quiet, too quiet. He slowed his pace and leaned his back against the wall near the entrance. He reached for his weapon and when he was ready, he poked his head into the hangar.

                To his surprise, he saw a few Mariemaia's soldiers lying on the ground. A red uniformed soldier stood above them, his back was onto the entrance. Realizing who it was, Trowa stepped into the hangar. "So, you got in as well," he said, seeing the familiar uniform.

                The soldier turned around. "Likewise," she said. Trowa noticed she had tucked her long red hair inside her cap so everyone who didn't recognize her would thought her as a male soldier. "I was there when Dekim and Wu Fei took you in."

                "You were?" Trowa said, impressed. While he had been discovered, she had managed to maintain her identity a secret.

                "Yeah," she said. "I was at the back with the red uniform's troop, though it nearly throw me off when Dekim announced that they had a traitor among them. Luckily I saw you first before I decided to reveal myself."

                Trowa looked at the three small shuttles inside the hangar. "Are you going some place?"

                Kylie nodded. "Yeah. My work is not done. I still have to catch her."

                Realizing who she meant, Trowa gave her a nod. "That means I'll be seeing you on Earth then."

                "Looks like it," she said. "Dekim is going to drop this colony on Earth, you know. Are you going to do something about it?" Seeing that the hangar was secured, Trowa kept his weapon. "Yeah, and I think I have a few others who's going to help me."

                "Good," she said, knowing who he meant. She had seen Heero and Duo breaking into the base. She had even taken a few shots at them in her pretense as a Mariemaia's Army. She glanced at a shuttle. "Don't worry, I'll make sure that this place is secure until you and the other two get here."

                Trowa gave her a look. "Thanks, we would appreciate that greatly."

                With that, he was gone, determine to save the people on Earth as well as the ones on the colony.

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                "That's the last time I saw her," said Trowa. He turned to Heero. "That's why I told you to go to the fourth hangar. I know she would be waiting for us with at least one shuttle prepared."

                "Hm… that explains it," said Heero, remembering what happened next.

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_After Colony 196._

                When Heero reached the fourth hangar. He immediately knew someone was there. As fast as lightning, he whipped his gun to his right. He then was taken by surprise. From the shadows, a figure emerged. "You."

                "Hello, Heero Yuy. I've been told that you might be coming here."

                But Heero didn't put away his gun. He trained evenly on her, seeing she was wearing the Mariemaia's Army red uniform. She could be working for Dekim. Kylie shook her head. "I guess Trowa didn't tell you." She paused. "I was here to secure us a shuttle."

                "Where are you going?" he asked, putting away his gun.

                "Earth. That's where Dekim is heading."

                Heero shook his head. "Nope. That's not where I'm heading."

                "If you're fetching your Gundam, I guess you can take that shuttle," she said, pointing at the first shuttle. "I've already prepped that shuttle and it's ready to go."

                "Thanks," he said, moving towards the shuttle.

                Kylie checked the entrance. "Where's Trowa?"

                He glanced back at her. "He got held up. I guess he have other things in his mind," he answered.

                "I don't think I can wait for him," she said. "I got to get to Brussels's presidential residency before it is secure."

                "In that case, don't wait for him. He might take a little time getting here."

                Kylie nodded. "Understood." She moved to the second shuttle as Heero was boarding the first one. "Heero," she said, as he was entering the shuttle. He waited for her to continue. She looked at him. "Do me favor, please. Give me a way out."

                Understanding what she meant, Heero nodded. "Be careful."

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                "What does she mean by that?" asked Duo, as soon as Heero was finished. But when he didn't answer, Lady Une volunteered. "I think I know what she meant." She noticed Relena questioning glance and continued, "I met Kylie in the presidential residence. Or rather, I stumbled across her plan. She was with Mariemaia."

                Although she had already finished giving her statement to the local authorities, Kylie hung around the hospital, wondering what was going on in Quatre's room. Was Heero explaining her part in this incident? Did the other Gundam pilots understood her actions and accepted them as necessary means? Or were they still doubting her good intentions to protect a member of their group?

                Personally, Kylie didn't care what they thought of her. She had stopped caring what people say ever since she was little. No, she was more concern over what the Gundam pilots would do next. Since this mysterious assassin was not yet found, they would want to start hunting down for her. Kylie didn't care much about Heero, Trowa and Wu Fei's safety but she knew the assassin could easily destroy the weaker of the five, Duo and Quatre. And those around them. No, she knew that the only person who could best this new assassin, was her and she would do everything to make the assassin hers.

                She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, again wondering what they were doing upstairs. Were Heero, Trowa, Wu Fei and Lady Une telling the others what she had done during the Barton Foundation crisis? She almost laughed at that. It had been her greatest failure. She should've detected it sooner rather than later. But once she was aware of Barton's crazy plan, the ball was already rolling and she had no choice but to silently infiltrate his army, posing herself as one of them. Her main plan was simple, to see Treize's only surviving family, Mariemaia Khushrenada.

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_After Colony 196._

                Kylie reached the Brussels presidential residence at just the right time. Dekim was issuing orders to secure the mansion and so she quickly abandoned her shuttle which was well hidden in the forest nearby and slipped past the guards. As the shield doors slammed shut, Kylie leapt into the deep hole and was almost crushed by the sixth shield door. As soon as she was passed, she took out the grappling gun and shot it to slow her descent. She then swung herself, released her hold on the gun and landed on top of the mansion without so much of a noise.

                She looked around, surveying for any sign of the enemy only to find the rooftop empty. 'Hm…posing as one of Dekim's pawns is easy. The next part that is tricky,' she told herself, making her way inside. She slipped through an open window into one of the empty room. She tiptoed to the door and put her ear onto the door, listening. Satisfied that no one was on the other side, she opened the door and walked into the hallway.

                Then a couple of Mariemaia's white uniforms walked down the hallway, on watch. Kylie walked casually passed them, knowing if they notice that she didn't belong there, she would have to kiss her life good bye.  When the two turned into another hallway, Kylie quickly made her way towards her goal. She had already studied the schematic of the place and know exactly where she would find Mariemaia, Dekim and Relena.

                It didn't take her long to find her target. Walking down in the other hallway before her were Mariemaia and Relena, flanked by some soldiers. Quickly and surely as if she was one of them, Kylie went to Mariemaia's side, purposely using the little girl to shield her face from Relena Darlian. "Ma'am," she said to Mariemaia's ear. The little girl paused. "What is it?" she asked.

                Kylie glanced at the other soldiers, as if what she was about to say was confidential. "There's something your grandfather wanted me to show you. Something that's worth your immediate attention," she whispered. Mariemaia took the bait. Thinking that it was important and dire to their mission, Mariemaia turned to the other soldiers. "Continue escorting Miss Relena to the control room. I'll be there shortly." She turned to the red haired soldier. "Show me."

                Kylie, who had immediately turned away before Relena could see her face, led Mariemaia into another hallway. Her plan was to lead the little girl away from her soldiers, some place where they can have privacy. And she knew exactly where. After walking for a long time, they stopped before a room. "It's in here, ma'am," Kylie said and swung the door open.

                Mariemaia entered the dark room, wondering what was inside. "Well, what it is that you want to show me?" she asked, impatiently. She wanted to go to the control room immediately and watched how her enemies retaliated her obviously victorious plan. When the door was closed, the room was plunge into a complete darkness. She jumped and turned around, expecting trouble.

                "You should be ashamed of yourself," said a voice, the soldier's. But this time it was hard and cold. After her eyes adjusted with the dark, Mariemaia found that the soldier was training a gun on her. "You should be ashamed of yourself," the soldier repeated. "Using Treize's name to fight this useless and dirty war."

                "What." She backed a step. "Who are you?"

                "Who I am is not relevant. I'm just the ghost of a forgotten past."

                The little girl stared at the soldier. "What do you want?"

                The soldier came closer, until the gun was practically touching her head. "For you to stop acting like a child. For you to start thinking like Treize's daughter." Mariemaia saw the soldier's cold eyes flashed. "Open your mind, Mariemaia. Treize sacrificed his heart, his soul, and his life for this peace! What are you doing now will only taint his name." Then the soldier's voice softened. "Let him rest in peace, Mariemaia. Let him rest for the first time in his life."

                Hearing the deep sorrow in the soldier's voice, Mariemaia was mystified. 'Did this person know her father?' she thought. "Who are you?" she whispered. The gun was lowered but before the soldier could answer her question, the door burst in. As quick as lightning, the soldier reached for a second gun and whipped it on the intruder, Dekim Barton.

                "So, you're the one," said Dekim, recognizing the soldier before her. He trained a gun on the soldier as she had hers on him and the first one on Mariemaia. Mariemaia looked at the two of them, confused. "Dekim, what is going on? Do you know him?" Dekim nodded and smiled evilly.

                "I don't know her but I know of her," he stared at the soldier. "This is Kylie Rayden Khushrenada. Your father's adopted daughter." His eyes grew cold. "Your father's greatest traitor."

                "She's my sister!" Mariemaia turned to the older girl. "You're my sister?"

                Kylie's eyes narrowed. "I've never betrayed Treize and will never betray him. If there's a traitor here, it is you yourself."

                "Yeah, I know what you're going to say next, street girl," said Dekim. "You're going to say that you know Treize very well. That everything you do is justified to protect his name. That you're willing to die for him." He gestured at Mariemaia. "Well, here's Mariemaia Khushrenada, Treize's own flesh and blood. So why are you against her? To protect Treize's name or to protect your own interest?"

                "I don't need to justify my actions and my relations to the likes of you, Dekim," she said. With that Kylie removed the gun from Mariemaia and pointed it on him. But her next words were directed to the little girl. "Please see it with your mind, with your heart. Dekim is using you." She looked at her, her eyes softened. "Please, turn back. Turn back before _I_ can't even save you from your enemy."

                "Don't listen to her, Mariemaia. It's a trick," said Dekim. "She's trying to protect the Gundams and this false peace." He paused. "Remember, you are victorious."

                Mariemaia stared at Kylie, trying to make out this new turn of event. Her mind weighed everything, trying to make the decision that could change her life. Then, she knew exactly what she wanted. "I am victorious," she said, moving towards Dekim and stood next to him. "I will be the leader of the world." She looked at the older girl, defiantly. "What are you going to do now?"

                For a moment, Mariemaia saw a look of disappointment and defeat in Kylie's eyes. She shook her head. "It doesn't matter now. I've done what I came here to do." She lowered her guns and said to Mariemaia. "If you survive this, find Quatre Winner. Ask him for your father's letter. I just hope it is not too late for you."

                Dekim approached the girl, planning to disarm her. Suddenly, Kylie lashed out with her foot, knocking his gun aside. The two guns were quickly trained on them both. Her eyes icy cold and her voice hard. "I may have lost this round, Dekim. But mark my word I will not stop fighting you." She then kicked him in his stomach as he doubled and fell on top of Mariemaia. By the time they detangled themselves, the former assassin was already gone.

                Kylie made her way cautiously, knowing that Dekim would surely have his men looking for her. But she knew exactly where she's heading. She knew exactly what she was suppose to do. After ducking in and out of the mansion's many hallways, she finally reached her target. Looking for any sign of guard, she slipped into the communication room. And stopped.

                "It's you." She was surprised to find Lady Une waiting in the room.

                Lady Une looked at her. "Kylie, thank you for trying," she said, softly.

                "Y… you know?"

                The head of Preventer nodded. "I was there. I saw Dekim went in and overheard everything. But I guess Dekim's influence on Mariemaia is stronger." She was then surprised when the younger girl shook her head. "That is yet to be determine. Mariemaia might yet surprise you, Lady Une."

                Kylie then moved to the communication console and started punching buttons. Lady Une went to her side. "What are you doing?" she asked as the girl worked. Kylie waited a few minutes before answering her question.

                "Contacting Heero. He has to know that I fail to change Mariemaia's mind." Then her face hardened, void of emotion. "He will know what to do." Surprised, Lady Une looked at her. "Are you going to let him kill Mariemaia, your sister."

                "Heero will judge her as he sees fit," she answered, her voice betrayed no emotion. She then turned to Lady Une. "Unless you can change her mind, colonel. Isn't that the reason you are here?"

                Lady Une was startled. Then she nodded. "Thank you, Little Fire." Kylie minded the nickname and turned her attention back to the console. "I've patched into Heero's frequency. You better get to Mariemaia now."

                Lady Une nodded and left. Kylie turned back to the task at hand. She was about to send Heero a transmission when she heard him talking to another person. Curious, she listened.

                _"So that's why you're allowing Mariemaia's autocracy?" _said a deep voice.Heero's_._

_                "That's where the souls of those who fight gathered," _said another voice.Wu Fei's?__

Kylie frowned. 'Looks like Heero is facing Wu Fei. That means he already has his hands full.'

_                "That maybe okay for now," _Heero was saying_. "But Mariemaia will end up repeating history. The history full of miserable battles. Unless we stop the process now, more soldiers like ourselves will become necessary. If that happens, history will continue to repeat itself."_

                There was a pause.

                _"Wu Fei, tell me," _she heard Heero said_. "How many more people must we kill?" _There was a long silence. But when he spoke, the tone in his voice was different. Somewhat, sorrowful?_ "How many more times must I kill that girl and her dog?"_

She heard Wu Fei drew a surprise breath._ "Zero will not tell me anything," _said Heero_. "Tell me, Wu Fei," _he pleaded. That was his last words. Then, she heard a thumping sound as if Wing Zero had crashed. She waited for Wu Fei's next action.

_                "Would an incident like that have to be repeated again?"_

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                As Lady Une told the others her story, Wu Fei kept his silence as his thoughts went back to that fateful day. Although he hadn't really seen Kylie in person, she had been there. Closing his eyes, Wu Fei went back to the moment when Heero crashed himself into the ocean.

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_After Colony 196._

                "Would an incident like that have to be repeated again?" he asked himself, wondering. He wondered if what he was doing was right. Or were Heero, Trowa, Quatre and Duo doing the right thing? Suddenly his communication system crackled as a voice said, "Well, do you have Heero's answer yet?"

                An image appeared. Wu Fei was surprised to see his enemy's adopted daughter. She was wearing a Mariemaia Army's red uniform. "Kyle. You're here too?"

                The girl stared at him, her eyes as cold as ice. "Well? Tell me. Have you got the answer to Heero's question yet?" she repeated and waited for his answer. She then glared at him. Wu Fei saw her fist clenched. "How dare you?  How dare you turned your back on the thing that you fought for, before this." Though her voice was even, there's a hint of something dangerous in it.

                "What?"

                "You are one of those people who changed me. Those who told me that I should stop fighting and be one with the peaceful world. You told me to protect this peace. And I did. I abandoned my sinful life and death just so I could protect the peace of humanity with you Gundam pilots," she said. She then rose her voice. "So how dare you're telling me now it was all for nothing!"

                Wu Fei was stunned. The image of the destruction of his only home again played his mind, over and over again. His sorrow, his disappointment, his rage. Those emotions replayed again as he tried to find the answer. And then what Heero said earlier rang in his mind.

                " _'Tell me Wu Fei. Tell me how many more times must I kill that girl and her dog?'_ "

                Right then, he knew his answer. He knew the answer to Heero's question. And at last, Wu Fei was finally at peace.

                He looked at the image before him. "I know it now," he said. "I know exactly what to do." He then prepared his next course. But before he ended the transmission, he added, "Thanks." Kylie shook her head.

                "Thank me when we finally complete our duel," she said.

                Wu Fei nodded. "Understood," he said, knowing he still had to fight Kylie. But this time, he knew that they would fight without having hatred for each other.

                Kylie stared as the screen went blank. Finally, her job here's done. She had finished what she came here to do. She had gave Mariemaia a warning and a choice and she had also showed a friend the right path for peace. Now, if only she could reach that peace herself.

                Suddenly, she heard gunshots. She quickly stepped out of the room only to hear the sound of battle in another hallway. Sensing trouble, Kylie made her way towards the battle and found Lady Une. She had her back pressed on the wall as bullets came from the hallway on her right. When the bullets seized, Lady Une released her own shot.

                "Need a hand?" Kylie said, moving next to her. Lady Une gave her a glance.

                "I'm trying to get pass that hallway but it was well guarded. I don't think we could use this way to the control room." She turned to the other girl. "Is there another way to it?"

                Kylie shook her head. "Nope. This is the only way."

                "Then we can't get there until we handle these men. But I don't think even us combined we could overcome these gentlemen."

                Then the younger girl's eyes narrowed. "No, not us. You. Only you can get to the control room," she said. Lady Une looked at her. "What? What are you saying?"

                Instead of answering immediately, Kylie grabbed Lady Une's rifle. "Did they see you?" she asked. Puzzled at what the younger girl was planning, Lady Une hesitated. "Did they see you? Whole of you?"

                Lady Une shook her head. "No. I'd only poked my head into the hallway. It was how they decided that I don't belong here." Kylie looked at her over and nodded. "Good. That means these men were sent to find me." She snaked her arm out and fired, trying to hold them at bay.

                "What are you planning, Kylie?" asked Lady Une, cautiously. She didn't like the look on the girl's face.

                Kylie gestured at where she had came from. "You go back to the communication room. Once the soldiers are gone, double back here and go to the control room." Lady Une looked at her.

                "What would you be doing then?" she asked.

                Kylie looked away, determined. "Since they're looking for me, I won't disappoint them. I'll distract them so you could go and try to knock some senses into Treize's daughter." Lady Une was about to object when the girl gave her a sharp look. "Go now before I do something we both regret." She added. "And be wary. They might send a few of their men to check on the room."

                Reluctantly, Lady Une made her way back to the communication room. Kylie then threw down her red cap and jumped into the hail of bullets. She let out a few rounds, just enough for the soldiers to register her as their target before jumping back for cover. She waited a few seconds, and when she heard the sound of running footsteps, she quickly made her way into another hallway, drawing the men away from where Lady Une was hiding.

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                "And that's the last I saw her," said Lady Une. "But she was right. The commander of the team that was hunting her down really did sent a few men into the communication room as precaution. But they were nothing I can't handle."

                "After I could no longer hear the gunshots, I doubled back and made my way to the control room." She paused. "When everything was over, I tried to find her in the mansion but there was no sign of her." She turned to Heero. "I guess you knew what happen to her, right? 'Give me a way out' was to tell you that she's planning to infiltrate the Brussels presidential residence and that she would need an exit so no one knows she's even there. Save you, me, Wu Fei and Trowa."

                Heero nodded. "Yes. And it's also to give me a way in."

                "And that's why you blast your way through the shield doors," said Duo. "And I thought you were losing your mind. I guess in a way, you did." Heero gave him a look and then turned away, remembering what happened when he was in.

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_After Colony 196._

                Again, Kylie's paces slowed as she was forced to move in stealth. She had just disposed the men who were shooting at Lady Une in a room and locked them in. Now, she had to stay quiet and wait until Heero gave her favor.

                When the whole place shook, she immediately knew that that was her favor. As the residence was thrown into a state of chaos, Kylie waited patiently, guessing where Heero would land. When the place shook for the third time, she quickly went to the spot which sustained the most damage.

                She saw Heero coming down the way she did earlier. But when he landed, he didn't land so smoothly. She ran to him and helped him up. She saw that he was weak and battered. "Are you alright?" she asked, supporting him. She led him away from the hole on the ceiling above, knowing they didn't need a rock falling on top of their heads and rendered them unconscious.

                For a moment, Kylie gave him time to recover. Then, Heero stood up and looked at her. "I'm alright. I need to put an end to all these madness," he said to her. Knowing exactly what he meant, Kylie nodded. There's no sense in telling him that she failed. He already knew it by the look of the destruction caused.

                "I leave you to do your thing," she said.

                Heero nodded. "You better. I don't think you want to watch this."

                But as Kylie was about to leave, she stopped. "Heero," she said, stopping him as well. They stood back-to-back. "Please do me another favor," she said, softly. Heero was startled at that but remembering what he had done to Duo earlier, he nodded. "What is it?" he asked.

                "Please, be gentle with her," she said. "She's just a kid."

                Heero let a long silence passed between them. Then, he nodded. "Hm… alright."

                And both of them went to their separate destinations.

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                "So, that's why you didn't really kill Mariemaia," said Relena.

                Heero looked at her. "Don't be mistaken. I did kill her that night," he said.

                "Heero's right," said Lady Une. "The Mariemaia that night is dead but the Mariemaia now is an entirely different girl."

                "I guess you're right then," said Relena.

                Duo then shook his head. "Okay, okay. So Kylie really did help us back there, big time but still one cannot help but wondering what that girl's really up to. She's too unstable."

                "I guess, that's what we have to expect from her," said Quatre. "She's so used to working alone that it might be hard for her adjusting with working in a team."

                "Well, except maybe when she was working with Heero," said Duo, looking at his serious friend. "What is it with the two of you and carnage anyway. You two seemed to enjoy each other's company."

                "That's none of your business," said Heero.

                Duo gave up. "Alright, alright." Then he remembered something. "Hey, wait a minute. Wu Fei hasn't give us _his_ side of story." He went to the quiet Chinese pilot. "What happen when you saw Kylie?"

                Wu Fei gave Duo a sharp look. But he directed his answer to Heero. "She gave me the answer," he said. The others waited for him to continue but from the glance that he and Heero was exchanging, they knew that that was a personal matter.

                "Tell me. How did you figured out the notes were meant for me?" asked Quatre, trying to break the intense silence.

                "Well, buddy," said Duo. "As much as I want to take credit for everything, I guess this time I have to tell you that Wu Fei was the one who figured the notes out." They turned to Wu Fei who looked at the blond pilot.

                "The red roses told me everything," said Wu Fei. "When you guys told me Kylie is back not as Treize's Revenge, that gave me a head start."

                Duo frowned. "Isn't Kylie and Treize's Revenge are one and the same?"

                Wu Fei shook his head. "No. Kylie is the little girl Treize had raised ever since she was rescued from the streets." He glanced at Lady Une. "Treize's Revenge is the persona Kyle Rayden created to protect his true identity. That's the difference."

                "I don't think I really follow you on that but please, continue," said Duo.

                "The main focus are the red roses and Kylie," Wu Fei continued. "If Kylie has came back as _Kyle Rayden_ and gave the red roses to Relena, that means the notes are for her but here, _Kylie_ herself gave the red rose so it is likely that Quatre is the intended receiver."

                "Why is that?" asked Relena.

"Because you only give a red rose to the person of the opposite sex," Heero explained. "That's why."

"That's correct," said Quatre, remembering something. "Amy Pierson told me the same thing. She said that it is proper that the red rose is given to me because it's from a girl."

"Exactly," said Wu Fei. "That's how I know the notes were meant for Quatre."

"Brilliant deduction, Sherlock," said Duo. He turned to Heero. "So, the roses weren't suppose to act as an identification mark after all."

"Actually, it served both purposes," said Heero. "She wants you to see her as an enemy so she and I could protect you from discovering the true assassins."

"But why?" asked Quatre.

Heero looked away. "She still feels that she owe us."

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                After sitting in the lobby for a long time, Kylie decided to leave. She knew that the others would leave soon but she didn't want them to find her there. She didn't want them to see her guilt for not being able to save Quatre Winner from getting shot. She knew she had done a very bad job at that and it's time for her to change that.

                Suddenly, Kylie heard a voice calling for her alter ego. She turned only to find Kent Winteridge, making his way quickly towards her. Before she could do anything, he had his arms wrapped around her. "Thank goodness you were okay," he said, a note of anxiety was evident in his voice. He looked at her. "When I heard what happened… are you alright?"

Kylie was taken aback by the deep concern in his eyes. 'Is he really the one who's trying to hurt Quatre?' she thought, doubtfully but realizing that he was waiting for her to respond, she quickly assumed her role as Heather Leong.

"Yes, sir," she answered.

Winteridge shook his head. "I knew I shouldn't have sent you to see him. Who could have thought that Quatre Winner was the real target all along." At that Kylie frowned. How did he knew Quatre was the target?

His next words answered her question. "When I heard that Winner was shot and that he's the target from the radio, I came here as fast as I could. I didn't hear anyone else gotten hurt from the news but I had to make sure for myself."

Kylie detached herself from him. "Well, sir. As you can see, I'm fine. I was going back home, anyway."

"Let me send you home," Winteridge offered. "My car is just at the front."

"No, sir. That's okay," she said, politely though she felt as if she would vomit. "My car is parked nearby. I can get myself home." She then added. "Besides, you need to go and see Mr. Winner, you know, to show your concern for his misfortune. Maybe that would convince him how a good man you are." She purposely did that to get him off her hair. She needed to do something that night. And she didn't need any sort of complications.

That seemed to work, luckily. "Alright," said Winteridge, reluctantly. As he was about to leave, he grabbed her arm. "But I'm going to come and see you first thing tomorrow." Kylie nodded and then added to herself. 'Provided if there is tomorrow for me.'

She then walked to the front car park. It was almost deserted since the visiting hour was coming to an end. She was deep in thought as she made her way towards her car which she parked near a tree after dropping Heero and Quatre off at the main entrance. She reached the car, inserted the key and twisted it. It was then her natural warning alarm went off.

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                Duo walked over to the windows to close them. The visiting hour was almost over and Quatre seemed like he needed a good rest. Looking out the window, Duo saw something. "Hey, Kylie was leaving," said Duo. Heero, who was standing near the window spared a glance. Sure enough, Kylie was walking towards her car which was park under a tree. When she reached her car, they lost sight of her because of the tree.

                "I guess she's finished giving her statement," Duo commented.

                Quatre looked at the spot where she was shielded from his view. "I thought she would come up and join us. Then I could thank her for protecting me," he said, disappointment was clearly written on his face.

                "Well, buddy. What can I say," said Duo. "She's probably kicking herself right now for getting you shot." He then reached out to close the window when suddenly there was a bright flash of light. Then, there was a loud explosion and the window in his hand shattered. Duo felt himself thrown to the floor and then he heard nothing else but silence.

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                Someone coughed as Relena felt someone move on top of her. Then that someone helped her up and she tried to get rid of the ringing in her ears. It was then she realized someone was talking to her. "Are you alright?" asked Lady Une, who had been the one who shielded her from the shattered glasses.

                Relena nodded, surveying the room. The smoke was already seeping in as other figures started to move. She saw Trowa holding Quatre, realizing he had been shielding him from the glass. Wu Fei was already up and staring at the shattered window. But she couldn't see Duo or Heero anywhere.

                "Heero!" she cried, fearing that he might be hurt since he and Duo were the closest to the window. She then heard a groan and saw Heero checking over Duo. The Deathscythe pilot was holding his hands in pain. "What happened?" he asked, groggily.

                "Let me see," said Heero, examining Duo's hands. Some pieces of the glass tore into them. Relena winced at the bloody sight and knew that it was even more painful for him. "Let's get the doctor to take a look at it."

                "Yeah, well, I just hope I won't have to lose my hands." He then grinned, ironically. "And to think that I'm actually in a hospital. How convenient." Relena could almost hear the sarcasm in his voice. Then, he winced in pain as Heero helped him up.

                Outside, they could hear sounds of running footsteps as the hospital workers tried to make sense what happened. They each tried to find if there was anyone hurt by the blast. "What happened? We're not in war anymore," said Relena, repeating Duo's question.

                "Kylie!" she heard Quatre cried. She turned to him only to see him, Trowa and Wu Fei staring outside the window. She followed their gaze. Where there had been a tree, there was only a blazingly burning bark. Next to it, what used to be a car, was nothing but an inferno.

                "Damn!" Heero said, hitting his fist on the wall. He then ran out of the room, followed by Wu Fei. Quatre was about to run after them but stumbled. Trowa caught him immediately, telling him to stay put. Lady Une who had been staring at the wreckage in shock, stifled a cry of her own and followed the other two.

                'Please, let her be okay,' said Lady Une as she tried dodging the near-panic hospital workers. She still didn't know what had happened. One thing Kylie had been at the parking lot and the next, her car was on fire. 'Please, god. Let her be okay,' she prayed, knowing that she would never forgive herself if anything happen to one of Treize's daughters.

                But when she was outside, reality struck her like a sledgehammer. The wreckage was burning furiously. So great a fire that none of them could approach it within 50 meters. It was then Lady Une realized that no one could have survived the blast.

                "Heather!" she heard a voice called out. In her shock, Lady Une noticed Winteridge was staring at the big inferno. She had almost cried out Kylie's name herself but took control, knowing she can't reveal who Kylie was until the time was right.

                Heero and Wu Fei stood before her, as if frozen in time. Lady Une could see the look of rage in their eyes, as if promising a great punishment to the person who did this to their ally. Suddenly, Heero's face hardened, his jaw set. Without any word, he returned into the hospital. Wu Fei followed him so he could give his friends the bad news. Lady Une waited for a moment. Then wearily, as if she had aged twice her age, she walked back into the hospital and slumped on a seat. And then she let out the uncontrollable tears.

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	4. Chapter 4: Invasion!

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!☺

**TIMELINE:** The story mostly takes place after Endless Waltz. To be more precise, one year after Endless Waltz. That means two years after my very own Treize's Revenge series.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST IV: INVASION ! 

By Arayelle Lynn.

                She made her way around slowly. Her mind was numb and her thoughts were all jumbled up. She was very confused. She didn't know what had happened to her nor did she know where she was. But one thing for sure, she had to get herself to a place. A place where it's safer than the streets and where she would find help.

                Again, her tired feet buckled and she stumbled onto the ground. The day was already dark and the rain was pouring down like… what? Pushing herself back onto her knees, she leaned against the wall to regain some strength. She felt tempted to fall onto her knees and succumb to the darkness. But she knew that she can't do that. She knew that her life was still in danger.

                Ignoring the furious pounding in her head, she pushed herself away from the wall. That proved to be a wrong thing to do. She, once again, felt darkness swirling around her. So, she put her left arm on the wall so it could support her. She tried to put her right hand on the wall too but it only made her gasped in pain. She turned to examine it only to discover one thing. Why was her right shoulder bleeding? Not knowing the answer, she then started to walk down the alley, more or less aware of her shaky legs and her shivering body. But she cannot stop now. She had to get back. Even if she should die trying.

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                Relena watched the condition of Quatre's room. The windows were all shattered as pieces of glass strewn all over the room and on Quatre's bed. The smoke was dissipating, making it easier for the workers to clean up the room. The hospital administration had offered Quatre a new room but he politely refused, telling them to give it to those whose room was hit the hardest. So they sent some of their workers to help clean the room as well as giving them proper medical attention.

                Sitting on a chair near Quatre's bed was Duo, his hands were being examined by a doctor. Quatre was on the bed, watching as the doctor delicately removed the tiny pieces of glass from Duo's hand. Despite him wanting to maintain his male ego, Duo let out a little cry of pain when it was too painful to bear. But Relena just admired how he managed to joke around at this crucial a time.

                Shifting her gaze on Quatre, Relena noticed that the latest incident had finally taken its toll on him. Earlier that day, he had been shot, been in the operation room for three hours and now, dealing with the fact that one of the person he considered a friend was dead. Now, as he watched Duo, she knew that he wasn't really aware at what was happening around him now. But Relena was thankful that Quatre suffered little physical damage from the explosion. His stitches and bandages were still intact, thanks to Trowa's quick reaction.

                And Trowa, he's sitting close next to Quatre as if protecting him from any other form of danger. Like Quatre, he too suffered little damage because he had dodged on the other side of the bed, after pulling his surrogate brother down with him. But Relena knew when Quatre suffered, Trowa suffered too. The only thing Trowa could do was to provide Quatre with his inner strength and show to him that everything will be alright.

                Wu Fei was leaning against the wall, watching the rest of his team patched up themselves. Wu Fei had a cut on his forehead but he had refused to get it examined. The doctor had insisted but once seeing Wu Fei's sharp look, he backed out leaving Wu Fei to stand around and watched over his friends like a shepherd watching over his sheep from the hungry wolf. If he felt anything about Kylie's demise, he didn't show it.

                Standing near the window was Heero. And like Wu Fei he was also watching his teammates, standing guard. Since he had been near the window, Heero cut his arm just above the elbow. But he let the physician looked at it once when he was done examining the others. Relena tried to read his features but his face was expressionless. The time before he went down to examine the wreckage had been the only time he showed any of his emotions. When he returned, he became the once emotionless Wing Zero pilot.

                However, of all, Relena was more concern about Lady Une. The older woman was just sitting on a chair, staring at her hands. Relena knew that the woman blamed herself for all this. If only Relena knew how to make her feel better.

                Suddenly, Lady Une rose to her feet. "I need to call Mariemaia," she said, absent-mindedly. She then moved towards the door when Heero stopped her. "Wait," he said, crossing over the room to stand before the woman. "Let's wait a little while before we tell the little girl that her sister is dead," he said. "Kylie's a tough kid. Let's make sure she _is_ dead before assuming she is."

                Lady Une's eyes widened. "You mean, Kylie could still be alive?" she asked. "How? That blast was powerful enough to destroy anyone at least 10 meters away from it."

                "I don't want to get your hopes up but Kylie could still have a chance," said Heero quietly, not wanting the others to know. "You go and organize your Preventers to investigate the wreckage. I'll see what I can come up with at my end." He then moved towards the door.

                "Where are you going, Heero?" asked Relena.

                Without turning, Heero said, "Home." He glanced at his friends. "Trowa, Wu Fei, I leave them to you."

                Wu Fei and Trowa nodded their heads and then watched Heero disappeared into the hallway.

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                After for what seemed like an endless journey, she finally reached the place she was dying to be. She didn't know why this place gave her a sense of security that strong but she did know that it was the safest place for her. Slowly, she made her way towards the building and found herself looking up a series of stairs, which looked as if it was leading her to heaven.

                Shaking her head to clear it, she took the first step. But then she found herself too weak to balance her body to climb the stairs. Again, she used the wall to keep herself steady. The climb on the stairs had been more of a torture to her than the journey to this place. Her feet were sore and tired, her muscles were all screaming for the ceasing of the torture and the pain in her right shoulder was beyond feeling. Her mind screamed with every steps up but still she continued.

                Then, by some miracles, she was there. Automatically, she reached for her pockets to fish out her keys. When she found it, she opened the door to the apartment and stepped inside. She locked it and went into the living room. There, all her strength and sheer will dissipated like ice in the desert. She was unconscious even before she hit the couch in the living room.

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                When Heero got home, he made a silent prayer hoping he would find good news on the other side of the door. He opened the door only to discover a prone figure, lying on the couch face down. Her long hair trailed to the ground. Adin, the puppy, was whining and licking on her hand, which fell limply. There, Heero noticed that blood was pooling on the floor.

                Closing the door, Heero quickly went to the unconscious figure. "Kylie!" he called out, surprised to find her wet and too cold for comfort. He cradled her in his arms, shaking her. "Kylie!" he called again but still there was no response. Not even a sign of life.

                 He then looked her over, examining her wounds. Her head was bleeding, just above the left eye where a bump was forming. She suffered a few burns and cuts all over and in addition to that, her shoulder wound was bleeding indicating that the stitches had ripped open. She was dirty, as if been down in the sewers and the longer Heero delayed changing her wet clothes into some warm ones, the more chance she would suffer from pneumonia

                "Let's get her into her room," said Heero to Adin. He then carried Kylie into her bedroom and placed her gently on the bed. Adin leapt onto the bed as if standing guard. Seeing that, Heero nodded. "Good. You just stay there and take care of her. I'll just have to make a phone call."

                He returned to the living room and picked up the phone. He then dialed a number he knew by heart. When the person on the other end answered it, he said, "Lady Une, meet me at Apartment 120-G near Sector D80. I have someone you really want to see."

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                Lady Une sat quietly, waiting for the person on the bed to wake up. It's been three days since the explosion and while Kylie's wounds were taken care of, Lady Une was more concerned of her head trauma. She wished for the hundredth time that Heero had permitted her to take Kylie to the hospital but he had insisted that Kylie should be treated in the apartment to avoid any further enquiries. He had said that the blast had killed Heather Leong and she should stay dead so she could return as Kylie.

                Eventually, Lady Une could see the wisdom in Heero's words and knew that it was also what Kylie would've told her to do. Nobody should know that Kylie was related to all the assassinations two years ago. And it was dire now, more than ever, to hide Kylie's secret identity as _Treize's Revenge_. General MacGarth's policy to convict those who committed war crime during the war would be the end of Kylie's life if someone were to discover she was the notorious assassin.

                But when Kylie didn't regained consciousness for two days, Lady Une began to question their choice. They didn't know exactly to what extend the seriousness of her wounds but between treating herself for injuries and risking the discovery of her secret identity, Lady Une knew Kylie would prefer to choose to destroy herself.

                'Little Fire, what have we done to you?' Lady Une sighed, her mind went back to the memory long gone. When Kylie had been a happy little girl. She wished now that she had never caught Kylie stealing Treize's wallet and maybe then they could avoid creating this cold killing machine. As for the abusive thief, she knew that Kylie would've eventually find a way to escape from his grasp. But what about Treize? Would he have that much will to achieve peace if Kylie hadn't crossed his path?

                The questions left unanswered as she noticed the prone figure on the bed started to stir. Her eyes fluttered open. Kylie started to bolt from the bed as soon as she saw Lady Une, only to clutch her head and cried in pain. "Slowly," Lady Une said, gently. "Lie back." She pushed the girl back on the bed, surprised how easy it was for her to do so. 

                Kylie closed her eyes and swallowed, trying to get rid of the throbbing pain in her head. Then, something cold was pressed to her lips. She somehow forced her eyes open. "Drink this," said Lady Une, supporting her head while Kylie took a sip to satisfy her thirst.

                "What happened?" asked Kylie, her voice was surprisingly weak.

                Lady Une placed the glass onto the side table. "Your car was rigged to explode. Somehow you made your way here."

                At that, Kylie closed her eyes. Everything started to come back to her, the confusion, the pain, and the torture. Only the thought that Heero would be able to help her had kept her on. She didn't know why but she discovered that she was surprisingly comfortable working with the quiet and serious Gundam pilot.

                "Where's Heero?" she asked.

                "He's at the hospital. I guess he's going to tell the others that you were alright," Lady Une answered, slowly. She didn't know how the girl would've taken the news. To her surprise, Kylie nodded. "And Quatre? And the others? Anybody got hurt by the explosion?"

                Lady Une was glad when this cold girl finally showed her concern for others. "Mr. Winner is recovering well. He'll be out in no time. As for the others, they're fine. Just suffering from a few minor cuts." She paused. "Your employer, Kent Winteridge wasn't doing well though. He's kinda keep to himself now."

                Kylie listened, not giving any comments. She then turned away. "Why are you here?"

                "Heero contacted me when he found you. He thought that I should be the one who deal with your physical wounds."

                Kylie examined herself and discovered that her head was bandaged and her shoulder wound was well treated. The other cuts and bruises were almost healed. And she was in a different set of clothes! She quickly looked at Lady Une. "Did Heero found out about…" she left the rest unsaid.

                Lady Une shook her head. "He waited outside the room while I treated you. You and I are the only ones alive that knows about them."

                She leaned back into the pillow, relieved. "Good."

                "How long are you going to keep that secret from them?"

                Kylie stared at the ceiling. "As long as it takes. Besides, it doesn't concern them. It just a reminder that I'm still not free from his memory. And when I finally find him, I'll make him pay." Lady Une nodded, not knowing what else to do. Nothing she or anyone could say that would change the girl's mind. Even if she was free from her sins as _Treize's Revenge_, the killer side of her would never rest until she was finally given her vengeance. Lady Une only wished that it would be soon so Kylie would be able to live her life as she should.

                Looking down at the girl again, she discovered that Kylie was asleep. Brushing a strand of hair off her forehead, Lady Une bent down and kissed her gently. "Be well soon, Little Fire. An even greater battle is about to begin."

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                "You mean she's alright?" asked Quatre as Heero finished telling them the good news. "Where is she? I want to see her," he said, bolting out from the bed only to fall on his knees when a sharp pain exploded in his chest. Heero quickly caught him before he hit the floor. The stronger Gundam pilot then carried Quatre back onto the bed.

                "Don't get too excited, Quatre," he advised. "You're still weak yourself and it won't help anyone if you get worse. All you need to do now is to get well and then I will bring you to her once you're strong enough," said Heero, as if talking to a five-year-old.

                Quatre looked embarrassed. "I guess you're right." He looked up at Heero. "But she is alright, right?"

                "She hasn't regain consciousness yet, if that's what you mean. Lady Une is watching over her 24 hours." He paused. "Before I left this morning, I went to see her. She seemed better."

                "Oh?" said Quatre.

                "Trust Heero, Quatre. If he said that Kylie's better, then she must be," said Trowa, moving next to Quatre.

                "I guess," said the blond pilot. "Sorry, Heero."

                "No apology needed."

                Quatre looked at the faces present in the room. While Trowa and Relena seemed to be glad that Kylie was alive, Duo still looked skeptical and Wu Fei's expression was hard to read. Dorothy, who had came to visit him since the day before was also wearing the same look as Duo. She was shocked to learn that he was the prime target and was more shock when she learned Kylie's part in it. Vincent Dupree had came to visit him too but he was swept away by Erea Winner who knew that the Gundam pilots and their friends need a few moments alone. Hilde Schbeiker had arrived too, on the day she heard Duo got hurt but then left for no reason at all. Duo had said that she needed to take care of the salvage business while he was gone but Quatre knew there's also a hidden reason.

                "Well, I for once am glad that everything's over," said Duo, breaking the silence. "And that our Miss Ice Queen is not killed. It saves me the time to have to avenge her."

                Dorothy shook her head. "No, it's not over," she said. "We still haven't figure out who hired the assassins and who is this last one. Until then, Quatre and Kylie are as much in danger as they were. Except now, the assassin could be targeting all of us."

                "I don't think we should be worrying about Kylie," said Heero. "As much as the assassin is concerned, she is dead or rather, Heather Leong is. So she won't be targeting her."

                "What about the one who hired the assassins? You saw Kent Winteridge, he's as much shocked at the news as the rest of us," Duo pointed out. "He can't be the one who hired them despite his opportunity."

                At that Heero was silent. Although he knew what Duo said was true, he somehow couldn't convinced himself that Winteridge was completely innocent. There was something about the man that spelt danger. And Heero was determined to find out what.

                "Well, all we could do now is to review all the suspects list," said Trowa. "Maybe think of new possible suspects that could be involved. And motive. We still need to consider the kind of motive that would motivate him or her to hire assassins to kill Quatre."

                Duo sighed. "Yeah, and it's going to be a whole lot new work to do."

                "Then we must be fast," said Wu Fei for the first time. "I have a feeling that there will be more trouble to come."

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"They're starting to move," Noin reported, waking Zechs from his slumber. He quickly looked at the visual before him. The alien fleet was moving past the orbit of Jupiter and directly at their way. "Have they discovered our location?"

                "No," said Noin. "The asteroid belt is still shielding our location. And the aliens haven't showed any signs that they found us. I'm still attempting to determine their course." She ran her fingers on the console as Zechs kept his eyes on the sensor readings. He wanted to make sure that they're not been discovered yet.

                After Wu Fei departed for Earth, both of them spent weeks, watching the aliens. But when the alien fleet started to move, Zechs and Noin decided to follow them, trying to determine their target. However, until now, the aliens didn't give way any signs that they wanted to attack Earth. And so both of them followed on, trying to find out this new enemy's plan.

                "Got it!" said Noin. "They're heading towards Mars!"

                Zechs froze. Mars was one of the planet inhabited by humans right now. And it lacked sufficient weapons to defend itself. He looked at Noin. "Can we stop them from reaching Mars?"

                "Negative. We're low in weaponry if you're thinking about distracting them to get us."

                "That means we have to get there before they do. We have to warn them," said Zechs, powering up their engine. "Try to contact headquarters, Noin. The Preventers should know about this."

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                Quatre was about to knock on the door when he hesitated. He now wished that Trowa was there with him but it had been his idea to go up to Heero's apartment first to have a few words with Kylie alone. And so Trowa had decided to wait for the others downstairs.

                Suddenly, the door swung open and Quatre jumped as Heero appeared in the doorway. "Heero," he said, relieved that it was him. "How did you know I was out here?"

                Heero gestured for him to come in. "I saw you and Trowa before you came up."

                Once inside, Quatre looked around the small apartment. It was pretty cozy with two bedroom, a living room and a small kitchen. He turned to Heero. "You two have been living in the same apartment all these while?" he asked, disbelief.

                "Yeah, ever since these whole thing started," said Heero. Suddenly there was a bark and a puppy appeared. He ran towards Quatre, wriggling his tail. "And Adin, of course," Heero added. "He likes you."

                Quatre knelt and patted the puppy. It licked him. "He's beautiful. Where did you find him?"

                "Some place." Was all Heero said. "Why don't you make yourself at home. I still have a few things I have to take care of." With that, Heero disappeared into the kitchen. Quatre walked into the living room and settled on a sofa. Adin leapt onto his lap, attempting to lick him on his face.

                Quatre chuckled as the puppy's wet tongue brushed against his cheek. "Yeah, I like you too, boy."

                "That's funny. He usually doesn't like people whom he met for the first time. It took him two days to be civil with me. I guess you're pretty special, then," a voice said, making Quatre jumped. He turned around to face the owner of the voice, nearly falling off the sofa.

                "Kylie!" he said, standing up.

                "Sorry to have startled you," she said, noticing that he was favoring his left side. "You're okay?"

                He nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright." He then looked her over. Aside from the small bandage still wrapped around her head, Kylie seemed better than what the others had described four days ago. "You looked alright…uh… are you?"

                She nodded and for a moment their eyes met. Then suddenly, she frowned and she went back to the cold girl she once was. Quatre wondered what had changed in that split second but he didn't have the gut to ask. And so he looked at her again, only to discover something else. "You've cut your hair," he said, softly. He noticed that Kylie had cut her long hair to the same length it was when they first met.

                Kylie, meanwhile, was surprised by the disappointment in his voice. But once again, she fought back the confusion and other strange feelings that rose whenever she saw him. It annoyed her greatly that he had such effects on her and that there's nothing she could do about it. And so she turned away, not meeting his innocent blue-green eyes. "The girl Treize Khushrenada raised years ago is dead as is Heather Leong. There's no sense in bringing them back from the dead." She looked at him from her shoulder. "Understood?"

                He nodded, attempting to get on her good side. After all, she's one of the deadliest assassin around. "Alright," he said, as she was walking towards the window. "But what should we call you then?"

                "Anything. Call me Kylie if you want to," she said. "But don't expect me to be her."

                He was about to open his mouth when she raised her hand. "Don't thank me for what I've done these few months. The debt is still not paid until I finally get the last assassin," she interrupted. For a moment, there was silence. Adin, sensing the tension, went to her side and whine. He looked up at her and then at Quatre.

                Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Kylie walked away from the window to answer it. "Looks like you're looking much better," said Duo as the first one who entered. Kylie ignored the tone of his voice as she nodded at Trowa and Wu Fei. And then to her surprise, Lady Une, Relena and Sally Po entered. She then closed the door as they made their way into the living room.

                Heero walked out of the kitchen, carrying a tray of drinks. He gestured for the others to be seated while he, Wu Fei, Trowa and Kylie remained standing. "I guess, we all know why we're here," said Lady Une, after everyone were settled. "It's been a week and there's still no sign of the assassin. It's either she thought that she has gotten her target or she's waiting for a more appropriate opportunity."

                "Thinking like an assassin, I know she's laying low for now," said Kylie.

                Heero nodded. "She's right. The assassin knows we'll be searching for her. And now she's waiting for the perfect time to strike." He added. "She's waiting for us to let down our guards."

                "Which is one thing we're not that good at doing," said Duo. "So, what's our next plan of action besides searching a needle in a haystack?" He looked at the others for answer but the others looked at among themselves. Even Kylie was looking at Heero, her face expressed her curiosity.

                "Actually, we're not to do anything but wait," said Heero.

                "Huh? That's your idea," said Duo.

                Heero looked at him. "Like you said. There's no sense looking for someone who doesn't want to be found. All we can do now is to keep our guards up and wait until she show herself to us." He glanced at Kylie who nodded.

                "Is that all? Gee, you could've told us that over the phone, you know," said Duo.

                "I could but the assassin is not the main reason why we're here," said Heero. Everyone looked at Heero, surprised. Kylie raised her left eyebrow, knowing there were some other reasons why Heero held this meeting in their apartment. She waited for him to continue.

                Heero looked at Wu Fei. "I actually am more concern about the trouble Wu Fei mentioned a week ago in the hospital," he said. Then turned to Lady Une. "Or am I talking to the wrong person."

                Lady Une blinked, surprised that he knew that something was terribly wrong. She glanced at Wu Fei who raised his eyebrow, telling her that they ought to know. Even Sally nodded, agreeing to his opinion. Taking a deep breath, Lady Une looked at the young faces before her. "Human race might be in some kind of grave danger," she began.

                At that, the other four Gundam pilots looked at each other. Relena frowned as Kylie started to tense. "By who?" asked Quatre. "The guerillas?" Lady Une shook her head. "No, something even more dangerous."

                Wu Fei looked at his comrades. "It's an invasion."

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                "We're too late!" said Noin as Mars came into view. They saw alien fighters descending on the red planet, shooting at the main domes where most settlers lived. The settlers tried to defend their new home from the surprise attack but with humankind now leaning towards pacifism, arms and weaponry were discouraged, making the settlers had little to defend themselves. And soon, they found that they're no match for such a huge attacking force.

                Zechs gritted his teeth. "Have you gotten through to the Preventers yet?" he asked, determining his next action.

                "Negative," said Noin. "I think all communication from Mars are blocked and we're caught in the disruption." She looked back at the sight before them and then glanced at Zechs' angry face. "But I'm going to continue to try." To her surprise, he shook his head, his eyes flashing.

                "No. We cannot waste time doing things that are not helping," he said.

                Noin stared at Zechs. "You mean…"

                "We're going in," he said, bringing the their shuttle into the heart of battle. He destroyed the first few alien fighters that were caught unaware but the rest who caught the sight of the new target, quickly changed course to destroy them. But Zechs was OZ's most capable pilot and before long, he destroyed most of them. However, his skills were not what Noin was concerned about. It's the lack of armaments in their shuttle that was the main problem.

                'Blast it! Why now?'

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                He watched the beautiful sight of the battle before him. It had been a long time since he was in a battle. The Emperor's orders were simple and must be obeyed. They were to wait until the right moment to strike on this creatures. Which means, they had to wait for years until they had sufficient information on the alien race before launching their invasion. It took him years of waiting and patience was one of the first virtue that was drilled inside an Imperial Warleader, no matter how far away their mission was from the Galaxy Empire. But now that the dice had started rolling, the Warleader could feel the excitement radiating from each of his men.

                "Sir, the alien shuttle that we've encountered before have just showed up just as we expected," said the green-haired beauty who was standing before him, supervising the attack. The Warleader smiled at her, for she was his first and most trusted officer as well as his lover. And she also happened to be the best bodyguard in the Empire, with skills matched few by the Emperor's bodyguards and the Regent's Personal Guards.

                She smiled at him. "And the magnetic shroud we've put prevented the alien from contacting their people for help," she reported. "It won't be long until this planet they called Mars fall into our hands."

                The Warleader nodded, obviously pleased. "Good job, Sira. I trust our Collectors are ready to take in the slaves?"

                "They're awaiting my orders, sir."

                "Then, by all means, proceed before we kill more than we want to keep."

                Sira saluted and turned to her men in the bridge. As she gave the orders, the Warleader observed his six Mican Warriors. They were watching the battle carefully, each studying the strength of their enemy. Despite the calm look on their faces, he knew that they could barely contained the need for a good battle in their minds. 

The Mican Warriors were trained to be the best group of specialist army in the Empire and very few survived the treacherous training. They had helped the Empire to conquer countless of worlds easily, even those who were technologically more advance than the Empire. And the Regent purposely appointed the six Mican Warriors into his army to counter these creatures' best warriors, the Gundams. Their core mission was a complete and absolute conquest.

Turning his gaze back to the battle, he applauded the creatures' determination to retaliate. But like other creatures they had conquered before, he knew that these creatures would eventually bow upon the rule of the Emperor. However, the Warleader secretly wished that these creatures would give him the greatest challenge in his life.

                "Oh, Commander," he said as Sira turned to face him. "Don't kill those in the shuttle. Take them in, alive. They would make excellent slaves to the Empire." The beautiful commander saluted and continued supervising the attack.

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                "Invasion?" said Duo, blinking. He looked at the others who was wearing the same surprise look. Even Heero was startled. "Uh, this is not from the bad sci fi movie on tv, right? I mean, we always fantasize about invasion from aliens but it was all just plain fantasy, right?"

                Lady Une shook her head. "No, it's real," she said, turning to regard Wu Fei. "Sally and I have studied the information Zechs and Noin have gathered and decided that the matter is dire." She looked at the boys. "If anything, we might be needing the Gundam pilots again in this matter." She turned to Relena. "Which means, mankind might have to abandon your pacifist policy, Relena."

                "What!" said Relena, standing up. "Why? Have you tried talking to the invaders yet? Maybe they want to attack us because they thought we were hostile. Maybe I could talk to them." She looked at all of them. "I know I could make them see were not a danger to them. That we want nothing but peace with them." She said to Lady Une, "This is a chance for us to made friends with other alien races, don't you see?"

                "That's a very weak possibility, I'm afraid," said Sally. "The way they're forming in the orbit of Pluto proved that they're indeed have hostile intentions toward us." She paused. "We have to prepare for anything."

                Lady Une nodded. "Which is why we have ceased the dismantling process of the guerillas' mobile suits so we could use them to defend ourselves. With Earth and the colonies upholding the pacifism policy, we're in little condition to even drive away these invaders. All we could do is to defend ourselves until we come up with something."

                "But if we started to arm ourselves, wouldn't the aliens feel threaten? Wouldn't they made the impression that we are a dangerous race?" Relena argued.

                Heero looked at her, sharply. "You still don't understand the situation, do you? If any one should feel threaten, it's us. They have their fleet in space, heading towards us and we're without sufficient weapon." He turned to Lady Une. "You have my cooperation."

                "And mine," said Wu Fei. "Of course."

                Trowa nodded while Quatre hesitated. "Well, we are the only ones who might be capable enough to defend mankind. I guess, I'm okay with it." They all looked at Duo who was still thinking. "Well, I don't want to leave my business unattended. It was hard enough to set it up after the war and I don't want it to go down while I'm out fighting…"

                "Duo," said Quatre and Sally.

                Duo nodded. "Alright, alright. I guess you guys can't do it without me. I am the best, after all."

                Lady Une nodded. "Thank you for your cooperation."

                "I'll join you too," said another voice. Lady Une was surprised and turned to look at Kylie. "You'll need all able soldiers, remember. And I'm more than able," she said. When the older woman was about to say something, she held up her hand. "I have to fight. Those who threaten the peace of mankind shall suffer my interference."

                With that, Lady Une nodded. She knew no matter what she said, Kylie would fight the aliens, with or without her consent. The only way was to let her work with the Gundam pilots so they could form Earth's best defense group.

                "We're being too hasty," said Relena, knowing that she's been outvoted. "As Vice Foreign Minister, I am going to contact these aliens and ask their intentions for coming here. Maybe we could avoid bloodshed that way."

                Suddenly something crackled. All turned towards Sally who took out her communication device, Preventer's standard and thumbed a button. She listened, surprise was evident on her face. "What do you mean we lost contact with our agents on Mars?" she asked. She listened some more and then looked at the others. "Headquarter reported that we've lost all contact with Mars," she said to Lady Une. "All communications system including public and secured lines are being cut off. And there's no way to contact them at all."

                "How long have we lost contact?" asked the Director of the Preventers.

                "Several hours. When they still couldn't regain any communications, they contacted me."

                Suddenly Wu Fei pushed himself away from the wall he was leaning. "It must be the aliens. They're here."

                Sally's comm chimed. She listened and then looked at Lady Une, her eyes wide. "That's from the research institute. They've just spotted something large near the orbit of Mars. It's the aliens, alright." 

                "Have our agents send help to Mars," said Lady Une, rising from her seat.

                "Our agents won't be sufficient to save them," said Wu Fei.

                Heero then ran towards the door. "Where are you going, Heero?" asked Relena.

                "Where I'm needed," he said. "I'm going to take a shuttle and fight these invaders myself."

                Kylie was about to follow him, to go and get an old friend, only to hesitated when a thought came into mind. Making a very hard choice, she called out. "Heero, wait!" The youth stopped and turned to her. She looked at him, carefully. "A shuttle would do no good for someone of your superior skills. My Taurus is in the old hanger 34. I'm entrusting you with it," she said.

                Heero was surprised and then nodded. "Thanks a lot." Then he was gone. Kylie made her way towards the door, with Wu Fei and Trowa. "Where are you three going?" asked Lady Une. Kylie and Wu Fei continued to walk out the door while Trowa stopped.

                "To Mars. No matter how superior Heero's skills are, he can't handle them all alone. We're going there to do as many damage as we can," he said, walking out. Quatre rose from his seat. "Quatre? You can't…" 

He looked at Lady Une. "I know I'm in no shape to do anything, but I want to be there. I could study their attack pattern," he said, his face set. He then followed Trowa. Duo, realizing he was the only Gundam pilot left, quickly jumped to his feet. "Wait for me. I want to go too."

                "Me too," said Relena. Lady Une nodded at her. "I guess all of us are going then."

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                "Warleader, there are something coming from the alien's homeworld," Sira reported, turning. "One of the things the aliens called mobile suit and a shuttle." The six Mican Warriors perked their ears at this as they watched the appearance of something in red.

                "Really? I guess we would be watching that thing in action," said the Warleader. "What about the collecting?"

                "They're done. And we're heading away from Mars," she said. "I have the fighters converge on these newcomers so we could get away easily." She paused. "Do you want to make your appearance now, sir?"

                The Warleader nodded. "What of the shuttle that engaged us before?"

                "Our fighters are still trying to get it. Whoever inside the shuttle, they're good."

                He nodded. "If the shuttle managed to escape our grasp, let it be. We'd still have the chance to see whoever they are in battle again in the future. Maybe that would give our Mican Warriors some challenge they wanted." The six warriors knelt. "Thank you, Warleader."

                Sira nodded. "Your will, Warleader."

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                When they got to Mars, the battle was nearly over. Duo watched at the devastation the battle left on Mars and cursed silently. "What in the world…" he never finished his sentence. He watched in awe at the retreating fleet. It was huge. Then, the alien fighters headed their way. "Watch out!" he said, as the shuttle barely avoided getting hit. Trowa piloted the shuttle into the group of fighters, as they open fire. Some hit the shuttle while others hit the other fighters.

                Duo gripped Wu Fei's seat and glanced at his face. The Chinese Gundam pilot was watching something else. "Zechs is in trouble," he remarked, as Duo turned to look at what caught his attention. There, in the heart of the battle, a shuttle was fighting it's way out. From the looks at the daring and crazy maneuvers, he knew that the shuttle had ran out of fire power and now was trying its best not to get destroyed.

                "We can't get to them," said Trowa, concentrating. "We're too far away."

                "Zechs and Noin aren't our responsibility," said Kylie. Duo turned to Kylie, to express his feelings towards the remark when the girl pointed. "Look carefully," she said. Duo turned and saw something glinted  at the heart of the battle. Something red. "Heero!"

                They watched as Heero destroyed the fighters surrounding Zech's shuttle. When the shuttle was cleared, Heero proceeded to destroy the other fighters coming at him. "Hold on, we're going in," said Trowa, diving into the heart of battle. Quatre quickly flipped on the communication system.

                "Are you okay, Zechs and Miss Noin?" he said. He waited for an answer and seconds later, Noin appeared on the screen.

                "I'm okay," said Noin. "But Zechs might have broken his arm."

                Quatre nodded. "Hold on, we're coming to get you."

                "Don't worry about us," said Zechs, clearly in pain. "You have to go and rescue the prisoners before it's too late."

                "Prisoners?" Duo echoed. He exchanged glances with Quatre.

                "It's the retreating fleet. They're carrying the settlers from Mars," said Noin.

                "What!" said Trowa, changing course. But before they could get anywhere, another troop of alien fighters bore upon them. Duo was nearly thrown off his seat as the shuttle shook. A groan behind him made him turn. "Quatre!" he exclaimed, seeing the blond youth on the floor, Kylie by his side.

                "I'm alright," he said, as Kylie helped him up. "I got thrown off."

                "We can't take another hit like that, Trowa," said Kylie as she and Duo helped Quatre to his seat. She herself was trying to bear the pain of her pounding head. "The shuttle is not made of gundanium alloy."

                "Got it," said Trowa as he launched a counterattack. It took them a moment to destroy the fighters but they knew that they won't make it in time to safe the prisoners. Even Heero was overwhelmed, feeling the absence of a more superior mobile suit, namely Wing Zero.

                Then, their screen flickered as a strange figure appeared. From a glance, he might have passed as a human being. He had all the normal features of a human being but the golden shade on his skin gave him away. His eyes though seemed human, they had no whites and they're as dark as night. His eyebrows were slightly pointed and his face though bore a scar on his left cheek still do no flaw to his surprisingly handsome face. 

                "Do not be surprise by the similarity of our looks, humans, for we are nothing alike. We might seemed similar enough to be distant kin but you will never be our brothers," he said. The man, no alien, continued, "I came from a race superior to yours. A race that have reigned supreme over the universe for generations."

                Duo shivered as if the alien's gaze penetrated the screen. His bottomless eyes showed that he was a man of great power and worth listen to. As the alien spoke, neither of them uttered a single thing. They were all appalled by the appearance of this powerful-looking alien.

                "We are the Telrhani of the Telrhan Galaxy Empire. And I am Warleader Varishk from the house of  Tharia. In the name of his Supreme Ruler, Emperor Gylendar, surrender yourself and prepare to serve his Imperial Majesty," he declared. "Your freedom might be taken away for life but you will be awarded for excellent service to the Imperial family." Relena, Lady Une and Sally who were just a distance away from the battle exchange glances.

                "Surrender? Is that guy a loony or what?" Duo growled, hitting the wall with his fist.

                The others didn't answer. By the look of the aliens' eyes, they knew that he meant business. And that the human race might yet be in a fight of their life. Suddenly they heard another voice through the communication system. "My name is Heero Yuy. I belonged to no family and bore a borrowed name," said Heero. "I am the one who protect humankind and under any circumstances will _not_ let any of my kind be enslaved or destroyed by the likes of you!"

                The Warleader leaned back. "I see. Do you speak for all your people?"

                "I don't need to speak for my people," said Heero. "I only do one thing for those who endanger the ones I'm protecting. I will destroy you," he said, meeting Varishk's eyes. The Warleader raised his eyebrow.

                "So, you're one of them. The ones your people called Gundam pilots. The perfect soldier."

                Heero and the others in Trowa's shuttle were startled. "So, they know about the Gundams," Zechs commented. He was surprised and admired the Warleader's knowledge. Few knew the identity of the Gundam pilots but this Warleader though an alien, managed to learn about them. Zechs frowned, thinking of a new possibility.

                "Never mind," Relena heard Varishk said. "My warriors could use some challenges. And I'm sure you and your comrades could provide them that." He paused. "But be sure of this, Heero Yuy. Your people will serve my Emperor or you will suffer what we have done to this red planet."

                At that they turned to see the colony on Mars. Relena gasped, seeing the complete destruction of human's new settlement, the destruction of their hard work. It would take time and a lot of efforts to rebuild what was lost that day. Varishk regarded Heero. "You would've made an excellent slave, Gundam pilot but I know you would be one of those who shall not survive the conquest. Until then, I ask you to stage a magnificent retaliation against us so I could bring back the story of your misguided courage to my people."

                Heero stared at the alien on the screen and nodded. "And I won't rest until I destroy all of you and free those you have captured."

                "Brave words. Let's see who will prevail." With that, the screen winked off and the alien's fleet continued to retreat. Finally released from her shock, Relena quickly ran to the console, pushing the buttons. "What are you doing?" asked Sally, restraining her.

                Relena struggled. "I'm going to contact the aliens. We must talk about forming a peaceful relationship!"

                Sally took her by the shoulder and shook her. "Don't you hear what he said? He only came here to enslave us. He's not here to form any friendly relationship except master-slave relationship. Do you want your own people to end with that kind of fate?"

                The younger girl calmed. "Let's head back to headquarters," said Lady Une, for the first time. "We have much to do until they return."

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                Warleader Varishk turned to his first officer. "Good job, Commander. That was an excellent performance." He turned to his six Mican Warriors. "The Gundam pilot's pretty impressive, isn't he? What do you think?"

                The leader of the six nodded. "We feel that he and his companions will provide us the most magnificent challenge. We of the Mican Warriors couldn't wait to engage them in combat. It would be the best yet, Warleader."

                Varishk nodded. "I have the feeling it will be so." He changed the subject. "You six are excused for the rest of the journey. Go and tend to your Mican Troopers."

                "Your will, Warleader." They saluted. Varishk turned to his first officer. "I'll be in my quarters, Commander," he said, leaving. "Oh, and Sira." The green-haired beauty turned. "For the next battle, I want you to give supervision to my second officer. I want you to stay by my side to give me counsel."

                Sira nodded and signaled to a man standing next to her. She told him to take command and then followed after the retreating Warleader. As soon as they were gone, the six Serpent Warrior exited the bridge to join their own men.

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                They assembled at the Preventers headquarters on the new MO V. They waited patiently as Lady Une and Relena Darlian were in the conference room, having to confer with the President of Earth Sphere Unified Nation. The alien's transmission had patched into every Earth and colonies' vidscreens and for now, the officials were trying to control the growing panic in the public. But all knew their fates rest heavily on the five Gundam pilots.

                Noin and Zechs, who refused to go to the infirmary were in the room with two of them. Since they both had spent a great amount of time observing the aliens, their presence were needed to brief the President of the new threat. However, they still lacked information that could help determine more about the aliens' origin.

                Heero had returned with Kylie's red Taurus and promised her to run a full diagnostic and repair any damages. But the young assassin politely refused, saying she could handle it herself. Now, both of them were standing next to each other, communicating silently. Both felt surprisingly comfortable with each other. They knew that they sometimes had the same wavelength and more then a few occasions had came up with the same plan when they were working together. Both seemed to understand exactly what the other was feeling and what they were thinking of which made working together seemed so easy.

                And both welcomed each other's company. They needn't to talk about anything, just the very presence of one another close by gave them more comfort and a great sense of companionship than they found in other people. 

Another reason was that Heero needed to stay away from Relena. He knew about Vincent Dupree and he also knew that the guy was perfect for her. All he had to do was to avoid Relena until she noticed Dupree's silent love for her. And Kylie needed to distant herself from Quatre to avoid having the confusion and strange feelings that surfaced. But even his very existence in the room made her felt the strange feelings all over again. She needed to push the blond pilot away, far away.

                While the two were deep in thoughts, Duo watched them carefully. He was surprised how close Heero and Kylie were. And that how both seemed frighteningly similar. The way they stood, they way they were so deep in thought made Duo shivered. Both didn't mind being so close with each other that Duo wondered if the two were involved. But if they were, as much as Duo hate to think so, some people were going to be hurt by  their union.

                Suddenly, Lady Une appeared. The five boys, Kylie and Sally looked at her. The head of Preventers stopped at the doorway. "Relena's still with the President. She's still trying to think of peaceful solutions to this matter," she reported.

                "For someone who had risen from nothing to the most important figure in Earth Sphere, she could sometimes be a fool," said Wu Fei, glancing at Heero. But the silent pilot offered no defense on the girl's behalf. Instead he asked, "Where's Zechs?"

                "The infirmary," she answered. "He finally couldn't stand the pain so Noin took him there." She paused. "Anyway, this discussion only involved you Gundam pilots." The five boys exchanged glances, surprised. "Now that you all agreed to help and that you know how powerful the enemy is, there's only one matter that need to be considered."

                "How do we fight them?" asked Quatre, knowing exactly what she meant. That thought had played in his mind over and over again but he couldn't think of any solution. They could fight with the standard mobile suits but they need a more superior suits to chase away the invaders. But with all their Gundam reduced to tiny pieces and that the blueprints were all erased, how were they supposed to fight the enemy and come up as the victor?

                Duo sighed. "I hate to say this but I'm sorry for destroying Deathscythe. Maybe we've made a mistake by destroying our Gundams so hastily." He slumped on the seat, thinking of his 'old buddy' and the great times they had together. It seemed like so long ago when he started piloting Deathscythe.

                "No, you didn't made a mistake," said Kylie. "What you did, in fact, was the rightest thing to do since you decided to live in the world of pacifism." She paused to glance at Lady Une. "I was going to destroy my Taurus suit when I discovered that I wasn't ready for that yet."

                "But still, if we hadn't destroy them, we could've stop the aliens from taking the Mars settlers prisoner," said Quatre. "I shouldn't have came up with that plan. I realized now that my plan costs mankind the worse fate than death."

                Kylie went to him and looked him in the eye. "Start talking like that and I'll shoot you in the head myself," she said, harshly. "We don't need self-regret or self-blame in this room." She paused. "Tell me. Could you have anticipated the aliens' descend? Could you read their minds and find out their intentions?" Quatre looked away and shook his head. Kylie nodded. "Good. Now, let's do something more useful than expressing past regrets," she said but her cold eyes were trained on Duo, who winced.

                Lady Une nodded. "Kylie's right but you people's skills are not going to be wasted on piloting the inferior mobile suits." The others looked at her, surprised. "The standard suits are reserved for Preventers agents as well as those who choose to fight with us. No, we cannot have you people pilot the likes of Tauruses or space Leos." She gazed at the young faces in the room. "For you Gundam pilots, I have something else."

                She exited, gesturing them to follow her. Curious, Heero, Trowa and Quatre followed her. Duo glanced at Wu Fei but the Chinese Gundam pilot were also wearing the same expression as the others. Respectively, Sally and Kylie followed Lady Une and the Gundam pilots. The Head of Preventer Agency led them into a secret room. It was dark but they could tell it was huge. Then the lights blinked on, they were forced to cover their eyes from the sudden brightness. But what they saw before them shocked and at the same time excited them.

                "I don't believe it!" said Duo.

                "It's them!" was all Quatre could say.

                Heero, Trowa and Wu Fei didn't say a thing but they had took a step back, disbelief. Sally drew a surprise breath as Kylie's eyes widened at the spectacular sight before her. "It's the Gundams!" she whispered. She turned to Lady Une who was watching their reaction.

                "How?" asked Duo as the other four leapt onto their respective Gundams, checking them out.

                "Let's just say they were rebuilt for this purpose," said Lady Une.

                Heero checked Wing Zero. All were in perfect condition, even the Zero System. Everything was restored to its original state. He turned to Lady Une. "Do you rebuilt them or were they given to you?" The woman shrugged. "I'm not at liberty to say." Heero accepted her answer. This was no time to be asking who had rebuilt the Gundams. The important thing was that they had a fighting chance against the invaders.

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                Heero entered the hangar to start repairing Kylie's Taurus when he discovered she had already beat him to the punch. As if sensing his presence, the girl glanced down. "Have you finish running diagnostics on your Gundam?" she asked, wiping a grease-streaked forehead. She had took off the bandage, leaving an angry red mark where the cut was already closing.

                "Yeah, everything's as it should be," he said, climbing the catwalk to her. "And yours?"

                Kylie looked over her Taurus. "The armor has a lot of dents and scratches but it's nothing I couldn't fix," she answered. "It's the internal system that would take me some time. Some of the wires are fried but replaceable." She smiled at him. It was the first real smile Heero ever saw on her face. "I guess even my specially-modified Taurus is not enough to compensate to your superior skills."

                "Don't judge your Taurus so harshly," said Heero, examining a few damages. "You have modified your Taurus to be the most effective than any standard mobile suits." He looked at her. "If anything, you're doing no justice to your own skills."

                Kylie blinked. "What do you mean by that?"

                "There's a limit to every mobile suits. Not all suits could be modified to reach the same level of effectiveness as the Gundams." He paused. "What I really mean by that remark is that your Taurus can no longer match the superiority of your piloting skills. The internal damage was mostly caused by the system that cannot take the speedy improvement of your skills. When I used your Taurus in battle today, the system just couldn't take it anymore and crashed."

Heero put a hand on her left shoulder. "Your piloting skills are now equal to any of us Gundam pilots and Zechs." Kylie listened, disbelief. She always thought her skills were nothing compared to the five boys who had went through special trainings she never had. "That's true, Kylie. My only regret is that I don't have another Gundam lying around so you could make the most of your skills now."

                Then Kylie looked at her Taurus, her only companion. "Thanks for the compliment, Heero Yuy. But I guess for now, he'll have to do. Besides, he and I have been going on together since the beginning," she said, softly.

                Remembering his own attachment to his Gundam, Heero nodded. "Are you going back to the apartment?" Kylie asked, getting back to work. He nodded. "I don't want to leave Adin alone for so long. He can be a little cranky whenever I did that."

                "That's an understatement," she said, chuckling. "He can sometimes be a little handful."

                That made he laughed. "Handful. I like that." He then turned to her. "Are you going to be here all night?"

                Glancing back at her Taurus, she nodded. "Definitely. And maybe the whole day tomorrow, right after that briefing Lady Une is holding. I have to get this guy back in shape before the Telrhani attack again." She looked at him. "I want to be there when they attack."

                Heero nodded. "Made sure you have something to eat then," he said, leaving. "Lady Une was going to fetch you when she didn't see you at dinner but I told her you might want to be alone." He paused. "And have plenty of rest. You're not 100 percent in perfect shape yourself."

                Struck by the silent concern in his voice, Kylie nodded. "I will."

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                Duo stretched as he made his way towards the headquarters' galley. He, along with Trowa and Quatre had agreed to stay on MO V for the duration of the invasion. They knew it was dire for them to stick close together and the Preventer agents were more than happy to have them there. Lady Une even tried to talk to them into joining but the three of them treasured their previous lives even more. She then provided them with temporary rooms in which Duo shared with Quatre and Trowa with Wu Fei. She also took the initiative to spare two more rooms for Heero and Kylie once they decided to move in. So far, Duo found his room more than satisfactory and he found himself happy with the choice of his roommate.

                He yawned, the hallway was bathe in bright lights despite the late hours. There were still agents working at that hour to keep an eye out for any sign of the aliens. Duo's only hope was that the aliens had the same sleeping hour as they do so he could catch enough sleep. Well, after he had something to settle the churnings in his stomach anyway.

                When he reached the small kitchen, he found that someone was already there. A blond head popped up from the refrigerator and blue-green eyes regarded him. "Did I wake you, Duo? I'm sorry," said Quatre, placing a loaf of bread on the kitchen counter. On the fire, inside a pot, something good was cooking.

                "No, you didn't wake me," Duo slurred, wiping away the rest of the sleepiness. "My stomach woke me up."

                Quatre chuckled. "That's kinda weird. You had quite a big dinner a few hours ago."

                "I have even bigger ones at home. What time is it?"

                "Three-something, almost four the last I check ." He toasted the bread. "Have a seat. The stew would be done in a few minutes."

                Duo sat, watching his friend work. "How long have you been awake? I didn't hear you got out."

                "Ahh… I've been up quite a long time," he answered, not meeting Duo's eyes.

                "What! Are you telling me you've been up all night?"

                His friend shrugged. "I couldn't sleep, I guess."

                Duo looked at his friend, carefully. "You don't struck me as a person who eats a lot."

                "There's more about me you don't know," said Quatre, placing a steaming stew before Duo. "Help yourself." He returned to the pot and poured the rest of the content in another bowl. He then placed the bowl on a tray, along with a glass of orange juice and the toasted bread.

                "You're not eating, Quatre?" asked Duo, curiously.

                The youth shook his head. "It's kinda for someone."

                The Deathscythe pilot shook his head, disbelief. "You lost your sleep and went all that trouble to prepare a meal for her?"

                "She didn't have dinner and I'm sure she's still working on her Taurus suit right now. She could be hungry."

                "Why?"

                Quatre was struck by the question. He froze in his midstep. "What do you mean?"

                Duo stared at him. "Why went all the trouble to be nice with someone who had been everything but friendly to you? Why are you trying so hard to be friends with someone who obviously disliked you?"

                For a moment Quatre didn't say anything. He looked at the steaming tray in his hands. "I don't know, Duo," he finally answered. "It's just that I feel I owe her for saving my life."

                "She let you get shot, Quatre," Duo pointed out.

                "But she and Heero had saved me more than once." Quatre paused. "Besides, there's something lonely about her. She had lost everything, her childhood, Treize, everything… and she has no friends or family." He looked at him. "I guess she made me thankful that I have my sisters and you guys as friends."

                "And you feel that you have to be the one to show her friendship?"

                His friend shrugged. "Who else?"

                Duo sighed. "I don't really know what to say about your choice of friends, Quatre but I can only tell you one thing, be careful." Quatre was startled at that. "There's still a lot of things we don't know about her and we don't know if she's even our friend. She could turn against us whenever she feels like it. She's unpredictable, Quatre and I hate to see something bad happen to you." His eyes betrayed his concern for his kind-hearted friend. "Be careful, okay?"

                Not knowing what to say, Quatre nodded. "I will, Duo." He then left. Duo shook his head in dismay. He didn't know what his friend was getting himself into by being friendly with the girl but Duo had a feeling it won't be good. His only wish was that Quatre won't be badly hurt by the cold-hearted girl.

                'Great, first the war-thirsty girl and now a cold-blooded assassin. If Quatre couldn't find himself a decent girl, he would end up getting himself killed by the dangerous girls he's hanging out with,' Duo thought as he took in a spoonful of stew. He licked his lips in satisfaction, savoring sweetness of the stew. 'Damn! He really know how to cook.'

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                As Quatre was approaching the hangar, he heard the sound of someone tinkering through mechanical stuff. Expecting what he's about to see, he walked into the hangar. "Kylie?" he called, softly. The girl looked out from the cockpit, startled.

                "It's you," she said, resuming with her repairs. "What are you doing here?" she asked, ignoring him as he made his way up. Again, the strange feelings had started to annoy her like flies in a hot day. So, she struggled to keep them at bay. She heard him placed something on the floor.

                "I made something for you," he answered. "We didn't see you at dinner and thought you might be hungry."

                Something stirred inside her, a feeling of warmth, which was quickly extinguished by the coldness in her heart. She was about to told him to take the food away but the smell was tempting and she found her stomach growled. "Leave it there," she said, after a long silence. "I'll get to it once I'm done."

                "Do you need some help?" he asked.

                "No!" she said, a little too quickly. She cannot let him get too close. "I can handle things by myself."

                Quatre nodded. "I understand," he said, softly. He knew he had to leave before she got more hostile towards him. "I'll see you tomorrow, then. Good night." He made his way down and then stopped. "Kylie?" The girl turned away from the panel she was repairing to look at him, her eyebrow raised. "Get some rest, okay? You look tired."

                She frowned and returned to her work. But as Quatre was leaving, she watched him disappeared through the doorway. And then she went back to work, trying hard to ignore the steaming and sweet smell of the stew.

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                Early in the morning, Duo found himself sitting inside the Preventers conference room, with Quatre and Trowa on either side of him. Across the room, Heero and Kylie were seating next to Wu Fei and Sally. Zechs and Noin were sitting in front of the room with Lady Une. They waited for Lady Une to began but she seemed to be waiting for someone.

                A minute later, the door swung open and Dorothy entered. She exchanged looks with Lady Une and regarded the others questioning looks. "Dorothy's a Preventer secret agent. She has been working for us secretly these whole years, including the battle in Brussels two years ago," Lady Une explained.

                "I would've fight even if I wasn't a Preventer agent," said Dorothy, as she settled next to Trowa.

                "So the bodyguards who were with at the New Year ball had been Preventer agents as well?" Quatre speculated. Dorothy nodded. "Yes, our main task was to work silently to prevent an international incident." She paused. "If you hadn't invited me to the ball, I would've gone undercover myself but it seemed someone's already beat me to that idea," she said, glancing at Kylie, who met her eyes.

                Lady Une stood. "Let's begin," she said. "I want to brief all of you first before I talk to the rest of my officers so we could come up with something that could help us defend our people from this new enemy." She paused. "The information Zechs and Noin has collected had been helpful but they are still a lot of things we don't know about these aliens."

                An image of a space chart flickered on.

                "The aliens, known as Telrhani, have all returned to their original position near the orbit of Pluto. Their fleet, according to Zechs' reports was enormous that it would be hard for us to destroy them all. And I think it is safe to say that the alien we met yesterday, Warleader Varishk is the one leading the fleet." She paused. "From what we could determine, the aliens' main objective is to capture as many human beings as they could so they could enslaved us."

                The image flickered, showing what looked like big space carriers. "These are the ships they use to collect all the captives on Mars and I believe will be seeing a lot of them in the future," Lady Une said. "Although it's massive, it's still as fast as our very own space shuttle and are heavily armored to fend off any fires from our weapons."

                The image changed to one of the more familiar objects. "These are the alien fighters. It's as fast as any mobile suits but has twice the firepower. I believe, they could be as deadly as the space mines."

                "What the about the huge spaceships?" asked Duo, raising his hand. "From what I saw yesterday they are enormous. They're bigger than Peacemillion and the Libra."

                "Slightly bigger, Duo," said Lady Une. "The flagships are the ones carrying the fighters but it's heavily armed and armored. We couldn't determined whether they have a destructive weapon such as those of Libra and Fortress Barge but it would be tough to destroy any of them." There she smiled slightly. "But I guess it would only be difficult for you people."

                There she sat. "That's all we managed to gather," she said. "We still couldn't determined where these aliens originated or how they got here." She paused. "It could be possible that they came from a nearby galaxy or solar system but it must've taken them years of traveling to reach our solar system."

                "We really need to know where they had come from," said Sally. "We need to make sure where they are taking the prisoners so we could rescue them."

                "For now, the prisoners are still around Pluto. The fleet hasn't made their move since they retreated but that could change soon," said Lady Une. "We will try to monitor their activity, though it would be tough since they're too far away."

                Heero spoke, "Actually, I'm more concern about the alien fighters. I don't think they are the only offensive power of the aliens." The others looked at him, surprised. "Call it an instinct but when I was talking to Varishk, he seemed to be hiding something. And he seemed confident that he could defeat all of us." He looked at his comrades, hard. "I think he has more powerful troops standing by, waiting to make an appearance."

                "I agree," said Kylie. "I think the battle yesterday were meant to announce their intentions as well as to test our defense system." She glanced at Heero. "And to provoke the Gundam pilots into the battle. He was definitely trying to identify you guys so he could decide his next move."

                "It does seemed like it," said Quatre in agreement. Duo, Trowa and Wu Fei nodded. "It doesn't matter now," said Heero. "We have our Gundams now. We may yet be able to turn the next battle into our side." But he felt a sudden feeling of dread, as if he wasn't completely convinced by his words.

                Lady Une nodded. "You five as well as Zechs and Kylie are our only hope. The Preventer Agency recruited only small amount of people as to limit our use of violence. Earth Sphere Unified Nation have no military group because of its pacifist policy and General MacGarth are only in charge of defense group which only supervising security. Most of the soldiers and guerillas are either discharged from active duty, in confinement or have joined MacGarth defense troops. Only a number of them actually joined the Preventers." She gazed at the young faces before her. "I'm afraid, we have to depend on you once again."

                "Don't worry about that," said Heero. "We work well without having to protect anyone in battle. You just have to make sure that no one endanger his life needlessly or interfere with our mission. The seven of us should be enough to handle the tough bunch." He purposely included Zechs and Kylie in the count.

                Trowa nodded. "Yes, the seven of us will be human's main troop while your Preventer agents can be our support but no one should take on the aliens troops besides us." Lady Une nodded, indicating her agreement.

                "Glad to see that settled," said Sally. "Now, if only we could figure out where they would strike next."

                As soon as he said that, the alarm sounded. A screen flickered as a young man appeared. "Colonel Une, the aliens are attacking a colony in the La Grange point 5 area."

                "Location?"

                "Sector C 791. We've lost all contact with the colony."

                Before he was even finished, Heero, Duo, Trowa, Quatre, Wu Fei and Kylie were running out of the room. The injured Zechs, Lady Une, Noin and Sally quickly made their way to the command center to observe the battle. And to pray that hopefully the Gundams were able to stop the new menace.

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                Duo cranked up Deathscythe, feeling again the rush of adrenaline that always excited him whenever he went into a battle. It was a good feeling, one he missed for so long. Glancing at the others, he could see that they were feeling the same thing too. He then closed the hatch and regarded his gundam. "Let's go, Deathscythe. Once again, the Great Destroyer flies through the space!"

                They made their way at maximum speed. Though they felt the excitement, each didn't forget that many life were at stake, that many people were depending on them. That thought itself made them determined to make the aliens pay for what they did on Mars.

                Then they were there. The battle was definitely in the aliens' advantage since the colony had issued the free armament policy. So, it stood there defenseless as the alien carriers boarded the colony to take the citizens captives.

                "Not on my watch!" Duo shouted as he dove into the heart of battle.

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                "Sir, five unidentified mobile suits are approaching the battlefield," a male alien reported. Captain Stharhkis glanced at the Warleader, who was watching the battle calmly. He turned to his man. "Unidentified? Check the special files, soldier." He glanced at the man on the seat behind him. "Looks like we're going to meet your special guests, sir."

                A moment later, the visual of the five mobile suits came on the main screen. They quickly engaged with their fighters, destroying them at an alarming speed. But still, Warleader Varishk sat calmly on his seat, Sira stood by his side.

                "They're magnificent, aren't they?" Varishk commented. "The Gundams and their pilots are definitely the challenge we need." He turned to the six on his left. "You know what to do. It's time to introduce our main forces to the humans."

                The Mican Warrior saluted him. "Your command, Warleader," said the leader. They left for the long awaited battle.

                "Aren't they magnificent, Sira?"

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                Once the Gundams had joined in the battle, the tides turn. Now, both side were equally strong, with the Gundams proved to be a lot stronger. And Kylie's red Taurus had also joined in the battle. She stationed herself near Quatre, who was fighting in the heat of the battle. It took the six of them to destroy most of the alien fighters as well as stopping the slaveships from taking the colonists prisoner.

                But then, something else happened.

                "What the hell?" Duo spat as he barely dodged a shot aiming at him. He turned only to see a flash of green suit coming at him followed by a violent shake. Duo broke away from the unidentified suit. "What are those?" he asked, noticing that the others had been attacked by other green suits too.

                 The green suit facing Heero came forward. "I am K'Vai, leader of the Mican Warrior and these are my comrades."

                "I'm S'Irai," said the one who shot at Duo.

                "Trec'na is my name," said the one facing Trowa.

                Another green suit bowed at Wu Fei. "I'm Con'trai and it's a pleasure meeting a warrior of another race."

                "Keil'n," said another who nearly took Sandrock's head off. It was hard to determine whether it was a female or a male because it had a rather soft but masculine voice. The last one gazed at Kylie's red Taurus, as if mocking her.

                "I'm K'Rin." It was definitely female. "I hope you can give us the challenge we want, though I very much doubt _you_ can," she said to Kylie. The Taurus pilot gripped her throttle tightly, holding her temper in check.

                "Before we came here, we have been studying you pilots," said K'Vai. "And we decided that you're worth of our attention. Which means, defeating you would be a great victory for all of us."

                K'Rin smiled. "Let's see who shall prevail. The great warriors of the Imperial Court or the perfect soldiers of Earth creatures."

                Then as one, she and K'Vai attacked Wing Zero. The other Mican Warriors attacked Deathscythe, Heavyarms, Nataku and Sandrock, totally ignoring the red Taurus. For a moment, Kylie was startled. She was surprised that they totally discarded her from the fight. Then suddenly, she heard the alarm chimed and turned to look behind her. A band of brown suits coming at her way, firing at her. She quickly dodged and spun away from the firing range and threw some firepower at them.

                "Do you think that we would leave you all alone, girl?" said a voice, K'Rin. "Though I have no time to play with you, our Mican Troops would gladly give you all the attention."

                Realizing that these new enemy were looking down on her, Kylie felt anger rose inside her. "How dare you!" she said, firing at the oncoming Mican Troop. They were tougher than the alien fighters. Kylie took hits by hits but she still fought them. Anger controlled her every action. 

                Heero, meanwhile, fought K'Vai like he never fought before. The leader of the Mican Warrior proved to be a worthy and tough opponent to defeat. Sometimes, Heero felt as if he was fighting Zechs Merquis all over again but most of the time, K'Vai proved to be an opponent with skills superior than those of Zechs. And since K'Rin had decided to fight him too, Heero found himself only able to take the defensive stance.

                However, as Heero fought the two, he studied their moves. Both K'Vai and K'Rin seemed to be able to work with each other with perfect synchronization. They both seemed to be able to read each other thoughts and anticipated each other moves. If K'Vai went to a defense stance, K'Rin would take the offense, making them a dangerous foe Heero had ever faced.

                Duo and Quatre were also not doing very well. Each were taken by the swiftness and speed of the aliens mobile suits. However, Deathscythe's armory was able to protect him from taking most of the hits but Quatre's were taking a lot of hits from the enemy because of Sandrock's massive weight slowing his movement.

                "You call yourself a warrior?" taunted Keil'n. "You're a disgrace."

                "I'm not a warrior," said Quatre. "I'm a protector of peace."

                Keil'n spat. "Protector of peace. How pathetic." He advanced.

                Trowa anticipated his opponent's every move, studying him as he battled. He and Trec'na were equally strong that their battle were not going anywhere. Somewhere near him, Trowa could also see that Wu Fei and Con'trai were equally matched too. Both of them gracefully fought with each other as if they were dancing but Trowa knew both were determined to destroy one another.

                "You worry too much about your comrade," said Trec'na. Trowa then realized that he was looking at Deathscythe and Sandrock, battling the other two Mican Warrior and were losing. "Don't worry about them. I have a feeling that they both will gave my two comrades a tough challenge in the future."

                Trowa turned to regard his opponent. "And how do you know that?"

                Trec'na chuckled, as if he had said something funny. "My family are holy priests. We have the ability to read someone's future." He paused. "And you Gundam pilots have no future."

                "Really," said Trowa, calmly. "Then let's see if I could change that."

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                Kylie growled furiously as she tried to destroy the Mican Troop who was beginning to annoy her. From the moment the battle started, she sensed danger. And she knew that the feeling was coming from Heero, knowing he couldn't hold off two Mican Warriors by himself. She tried to break free from the troopers but each time there was an opening, it was closed in an instant. Then the sense of danger intensified and a sudden feeling of desperation sank in her stomach.

                "Incoming!" she heard a familiar voice as two Mican trooper exploded behind her. Kylie turned to see two white Taurus suits coming at her. "Noin and Sally?" she voiced, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

                Noin appeared on her screen. "Lady Une was worried so Zechs sent us." She paused to fire at a trooper. "Help Heero. We'll hold them off you." Kylie nodded. "Right!" and she flew off towards where Heero was battling K'Vai and K'Rin.

                Spotting her target, Kylie fired. That broke K'Vai and K'Rin battle formation, surprising them. Kylie's Taurus then stood next to Wing Zero, her big gun training on them. "So, you broke loose from our trooper, huh?" said K'Rin. "You might be worthy enough to fight us after all."

                "She is worthy," said Heero. "Do not underestimate her."

                K'Rin smiled. "Very well, we shall see what she can do." She glanced at K'Vai. "Brother, shall we?"

                They attacked but this time, they were equally matched. While fighting the troopers, Noin managed to spare a glance at the battle between them and whistled. K'Vai and K'Rin were both as impressive as ever but the combination of Heero and Kylie were unbelievable. The two managed to answer the Mican Warriors' attacks together, as if they were one. The way Heero and Kylie compliment each other's movement was as if they knew each other by heart and soul. Both seemed to know what each was thinking and anticipated each other's strategies without even communicating.

                Their battle also attracted the other fighters as they watched the spectacular '_dance_' before them. The other Mican Warriors were deeply impressed by the formation of their enemy because no one had ever been able to withstand the combination of K'Vai and K'Rin for long. No matter how skillful their enemies were, they would all fallen into the superior and magnificent combination of the two siblings. The twins were highly regarded as warriors in the Imperial Court and they were the symbol of victory all over their galaxy.

                And to discover that there's another couple who could withstand K'Vai and K'Rin's incredible formation proved to them that these human were not as they seemed and that they would be the ones to challenge their skills to the maximum.

                Suddenly, the communication crackled. "Enough, my dear warriors," said the Warleader. K'Vai stopped to regard his master. "You have done what you're suppose to do. Return to the mothership."

                "As you wish, Warleader," he said, glancing at K'Rin. "Sister, you heard what he said." He turned to Heero. "Well fought, Heero Yuy. The next time we see each other, I will destroy you."

                "So will I," said Heero as his response.

                K'Rin regarded the red Taurus before her. "Before this, I was expecting the one you called Zechs Merquise to be my opponent. Now I realized that I will have to put in another name in my list. Well done, girl. You have proven yourself to be a worthy opponent." Her face then hardened. "But know this, I will destroy you eventually."

                Kylie's eyes were steady. "Not if I destroy you first," she said, giving her the coldest look she ever gave anyone. K'Rin raised her eyebrow and laughed. And she then followed K'Vai as he left.

                Keil'n turned to Quatre. "Get strong, protector of peace," he said. "Or be ready to die."

                "The next time we meet, we will be fighting to the death," S'Irai said to Duo and left. Duo's jaw hung opened as he tried to settle down his excitement. "Y…you mean you weren't fighting for real?" he said but S'Irai didn't answer him.

                "You knew my name but I don't know yours," said Trec'na to Trowa. The Heavyarm pilots looked at his opponent. "If you must know, I am called Trowa Barton," he answered.

                Trec'na nodded, slowly. "Trowa Barton. That's a good name to mark on my Trophy of Triumph."

                Con'trai faced Wu Fei. "This isn't over," said Wu Fei before the alien could say anything to him. But to his surprise, the alien shook his head. "I have a feeling you and I are finish here. Something's telling me you will found another foe that would be of some worth for you. Too bad, I was looking forward to killing you, Gundam pilot." Without any word of explanation, he was gone too.

                The Gundams and their friends looked at the retreating fleet. Each were intrigued and surprised by the alien's actions. They had purposely attack a colony just to introduce their main force to the Gundam pilot, as well as testing the ability of their enemy.

                "Thank goodness that they failed to capture any colonists," said Sally but none of the Gundam pilots responded to that. Kylie's eyebrow furrowed. 'They're a strange race. This could turn out to be a tough war.'

                As they were leaving, K'Vai sensed something from his twin sister. "K'Rin? You are troubled."

                "I was only curious, brother," she said. "That girl pilot was a worthy opponent but why isn't she included in the files our spies brought in?" K'Vai nodded, he too was as curious as she was.

                "All the spies we have sent on Earth brought back useful information on Earth and these humans. But if we were to know more about the Gundam pilots and their comrades in detail, we will have to wait the return of the one who was sent to destroy them."

                K'Rin nodded. "Mylin."

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                There was a cheer when the Gundam pilots finally reached the Preventer headquarter. But none of the pilots felt like celebrating. Although it might seemed like they won, each of them knew they didn't and that in the future, the battle would be tougher than this one. And looking at the celebrating crowd, Heero realized that none of them noticed what exactly had transpired in the battle. But of all the celebrating people, they noticed Zechs were watching them carefully. He then nodded, as if he understood exactly what happened.

                "Good job. You saved the colony," said Lady Une, glancing at Kylie. The girl ignored her and went out of the hangar. Lady Une's eyes followed her for a second before she turned to regard Heero.

                "My job's not over," he said before she could open her mouth. He then exited the hangar, followed by the other four weary Gundam pilots. Thinking that they were tired, Lady Une let them go. Then, Noin and Sally came to her.

                "We have a problem."

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                Kylie walked to the room that was provided for her. She knew that she had to start the maintenance on her mobile suit as soon as possible, knowing she had to be prepared for the next encounter with K'Rin. She was entering her room when a husky voice stopped her. "Kylie Khushrenada?"

                "I no longer bear Mr. Treize's name," she said, knowing exactly who she was speaking to.

                Zechs nodded. "I'm sorry. I guess I should regard you as Kyle Rayden, the soldier of OZ."

                "Former soldier," she corrected. "Rayden was the surname given to me since the day I could remember."

                "But it's not even yours, right?"

                Kylie shrugged. "I'm not able to answer that."

                "No matter," said Zechs. "I just have to meet the girl Treize took in as his daughter." He paused. "I don't want any fraction between us. You've helped save my sister more than once although you first had tried to kill her."

                "I was protecting Quatre Winner. Your sister was just in the wrong place and at the wrong time," she reminded him.

                Zechs smiled. "I actually heard differently from Heero." He quickly interrupted what Kylie was going to say. "It's doesn't matter now. I just need to tell you something. Although Treize and I were bitter enemies in the end, he was the best of friend I ever had. And there's no one could replace him in my heart."

                "You are Treize's adopted daughter. Your loyalty was pledged fiercely on him that until now you still fight for him. And that I respect. Aside Lady Une, you are the only person who truly love him. Even my love for Treize is pale and weak compare to the love and loyalty you and Une showed for him."

                Kylie was startled by his words. Suddenly, Zechs' extended his hand. "Despite all that, you're still your own person and I would be gladly to fight by your side. And I would readily trust you with my life." He looked at her. "Will you trust me?"

                Without hesitation, Kylie shook his hand. "What you and Treize had was between the two of you. What you and I have here is something entirely new and different and I'm sure Treize would've wanted this." She looked at him. "Of course I trust you with my life, Zechs Merquise."

                Zechs smiled. "In that case, I'll take my leave now."

                When he left, Kylie heard a scraping sound. "You heard that, Heero Yuy?" she said, without turning to see who it was. Heero came out from the darkness and watched Zechs leave. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop but you did the right thing. Zechs could be a very dependable ally when you need him."

                "I know," she said. "Especially since he still keep Epyon close by."

                Heero was startled. "You know about that?"

                She shrugged but didn't bother to explain how. "But I guess you know about that too, don't you?"

                "Yeah," he said. "I actually came by to see you. I want to tell you something."

                Kylie's right eyebrow shot up.

                "Good job. You've been a very interesting partner."

                She nodded. "You're an interesting partner too. I guess we'll be working together from now on then."

                "Yeah, looks like it," said Heero, walking away.

                "Heero," she said, stopping him in midstep. "You were right. My Taurus could no longer do me any justice. I feel its disability to cope with me when we fought the Mican Warriors." She looked at him. "But what choice do I have? It's fight and die or sit around and watch you fight. Either way, I'm a liability to all of you."

                He stared at her. "There's always a choice, Kylie. Things will work out, somehow." He left to begin his maintenance on Wing Zero.

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                The man looked away from the computer and regarded his companions. "So, this is the pilot your contact was telling you about, huh?" he asked the man before them. The man took off his sunglasses since the hangar was dark. Except for the overhead light which illuminate the room poorly.

                "Yes, I believe this is the pilot for the new guardian," he answered. "And you do know that our new enemy has finally showed its face. From what I've seen during the battle, she can no longer use her old mobile suit. It's either we built her a new one that suited her rapidly improving skill or we let her waste her talent in an inferior mobile suit."

                "But our days of making mobile suits are over," said one of them.

                "You're not making a new one. You're merely finishing what has already started a few years ago."

                One of them glanced back at the screen. "She has all the skills, alright. And all the signs of an excellent soldier. If I have met her before I met my pilot, I would have avoided recruiting him. My presence in his life gave him nothing but pain." He paused as he remembered the once innocent wide eyes staring back at him. "But her loyalty and her priority are questionable. She's too unpredictable."

                "So are some of the pilots you recruited or do I need to name them?" the man argued. "For now, I am sure that her loyalty is for the benefit of humanity. Her being unpredictable could be an advantage against the new enemy."

                They looked at each other and then the leader sighed. "We'll do it. It's not going to help our side if we lose a good pilot." He glanced towards the shadows. Something bright glinted from the darkness, reflecting the light that fell from the overhead lamp. "Besides, it's already here and I am as curious to know what this one is all about and how much they have learned from us."

                Another looked at the man. "Tell your contact we would be glad to finish what has already started." The man nodded his thanks and left. "I hope we'll be able to finish it before she got herself killed."

                "Don't worry. From what I read in the reports, she'll prove to be an excellent foe to the aliens. Besides, I know that my pilot would not let an excellent pilot like her die so easily. I know Heero would not let her be sacrificed without letting her show him her full potential."

                The third man regarded his companions. "Strange, isn't it? All of us seemed to be recruiting male pilots and none of us thought that female pilots could be as good as any of them."

                "Maybe but let's not forget this girl has special trainings as well as the motivation. She chose this path."

                "But you can't help yourself from wondering if one of us had trained her, would she become the perfect soldier that we wanted?"

                The first man shook his head. "I don't know if I could answer that." He paused. "Though, there's something about her that's so similar to Heero. But the more I think about it, the more it slipped away."

                "Maybe when we finally decided to come out from hiding, we could study that in great detail," one of them suggested.

                The first man nodded and glanced back at the shadows. "Just you wait, Kylie Rayden. We're going built something that you will be proud enough to pilot. Just you wait."

                "Another question," said one of them. "How well do you think she would fare with the Zero System?"

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	5. Chapter 5: Captives!

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!☺

**TIMELINE:** The story mostly takes place after Endless Waltz. To be more precise, one year after Endless Waltz. That means two years after my very own Treize's Revenge series.

**NOTE:** In the recent months, I've asked the golden question: 'Who would Kylie be likely to fell in love with?" Well, from this chapter on, you will find out who. And it would be the most unexpected person. Clue: It's down between Heero, Quatre and Wu Fei. (But then again, I might be trying to mislead all of you ^_^ !) So, guess as you read along, people. You might find the person surprisingly suitable for Kylie!! Caution! This chapter will also reveal something that is so surprising, even I was shocked to find out about it (All because of my ingenious muse) So read on and enjoy!!!

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST V: CAPTIVES! 

By Arayelle Lynn.

Sweat poured down Wu Fei's forehead as he eyed his opponent carefully. As soon as they were alone, both agreed to continue their duel. It had been two hours but still, neither of them seemed to falter. Now, Wu Fei's taking the moment to study and assess his opponent. Her advances had been lightning quick and her skills had improved over the past two years. Now, both of them were equally matched in skills and the only thing that put a difference between them was the strength within.

                As Wu Fei stared at Kylie, he noticed that her fair face flushed by the duel. Her eyes shone like cold fire, making them a beautiful sight to see. She bit her lips and her eyebrow furrowed in concentration. Her hair was matted by the sweat but bounced every time she moved to intercept his swipe. The way her slim body moved to counteract his advances was gracefully amazing, making Wu Fei felt as if he was fighting Treize Khushrenada all over again.

                Again he shook the thought away. Treize was dead and he had defeated him. _That_ Wu Fei had established. Right now, he's fighting with Kyle Rayden, Treize's only apprentice. And so, he forced himself to look carefully at his opponent.

                Her winter blue eyes were still watching him, trying to sense his next move and at the same time taking the moment to breathe properly. The blade in her hand still raised, her body was in a defense stance. Wu Fei gazed into her eyes, trying to sense her next move too and again he found himself admiring the cold blue eyes. The window to the cold soul of the girl before him.

                'What!' he thought, shaking away the strange feelings that had suddenly overwhelmed him. At that very second, she took a swipe at him as he parried. She suddenly dodged and spun but Wu Fei managed to intercept her blow in time. They were locked at a close distance for a moment, as each was trying to push the blades onto each other. At that too close a range, Wu Fei found himself staring into the pair of winter blue eyes again. And again that strange feelings rose inside him.

                She pulled away first, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "You're good," she said. "Most of my opponents fell for that trick."

                He didn't answer. Instead, he tried to determine what that strange feeling was. He had felt it before, a long time ago, he realized. 'That was when…' Kylie chose that instant to attack. Wu Fei quickly brought up his blade to counter her blow. When he didn't deliver his own blow, Kylie continued to advance as Wu Fei was distracted by the memory long ago. He thought that he had forgotten about it. He thought that he would never found himself feeling the same way again but here he was, experiencing it again! And now he realized that he had been feeling this way ever since she reappeared in Brussels a year ago. And he also knew it was impossible for anything to come out from it.

                When Wu Fei found that Kylie was trying to pin him against the door, he quickly feinted left and rolled to the right. As expected, Kylie swiped through empty air as she spun around to face him. She smiled. A rare sight to see that made his heart skipped a beat. "Very impressive, Chang Wu Fei."

                He stared at her as he tried to determine what to do next. Suddenly, Kylie saw him threw the blade onto the floor. "There, I've lost," he declared. She was so startled that she took a step back. "I've ran out of tricks and it would be impossible to continue." He bowed. "You won, Kyle Rayden. You won the duel. And my respect."

                For a moment the girl was actually speechless. She was going to say something but the look Wu Fei threw at her made her kept her silence. She bowed at him. "If you say so, Chang Wu Fei. The duel is mine." Deep inside she wondered. She knew that between them, Wu Fei's skills were a little more superior than hers and that she knew he had a lot more tricks that he didn't use in their duel. So, why did he gave up so easily?

                As if hearing her thoughts, Wu Fei turned to watch her stored the blades. 'I might be the one who could've won this duel but she has unintentionally win my heart,' he thought. 'Whatever a person in this state do next, he could never find himself denying that feeling. She swayed my heart when I thought it was cold and empty.' He shook his head to himself. 'Too bad nothing could come out from it. She is destined for another and all I can do is keep my distance.'

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                Heero, Kylie, Trowa and Wu Fei returned to the colony in L3 cluster to help transfer Heero and Kylie's stuff to the Preventers headquarters since it would be likely to be their new home for a long time. The other two pilots were all doing other stuff. Duo was still repairing Deathscythe the last time they check and Quatre had went back to L4 to take care of some business affairs for one last time. He was taking a supposedly long vacation to Earth.

                Wu Fei and Trowa decided to help Heero and Kylie packed, after stopping by to see Trowa's circus family to tell them that he's taking a long break. But the circus manager had been an understanding person and knew his employee need to save mankind once again and gave Trowa his blessings. After Trowa had a moment alone with Catherine, they went to Heero's apartment.

Silently, Heero was more worried about leaving Adin by himself. And so he had no choice but to bring the puppy along. While Heero was busy packing, Kylie went to see the tenant to pay the rent. The tenant had been disappointed when she learned that they were moving out. But the old lady wished them a happy life in the new place they're moving in. That amused Kylie a little since Heero and her had made up a story about being newly-weds, but she didn't bother to tell the old lady the truth so she left.

When she returned, Heero, Trowa and Wu Fei were waiting for her downstairs. Heero and Wu Fei were carrying two boxes while Trowa was handling the excited puppy.

                "He likes you," said Kylie to Trowa. The circus boy gave her one of his rare smile. "That's what Heero said earlier. Does he bite or something?" Kylie shook her head, taking the box Wu Fei was holding. All her stuff was there. "No, he only bites those he doesn't like."

                That made Trowa chuckled. He patted the puppy, which licked him. "Yeah, you and I will be best friends from now on."

                Heero and Kylie loaded the boxes into the car while Wu Fei headed towards the driver seat. Trowa was about to climb into the car when Adin suddenly growled. He looked at the puppy. "What is it, buddy?" he asked as the puppy wriggled out from his arms. Suddenly, Trowa saw something glinted from the corner of his eyes.

                "Down!" he shouted as he dived onto the pavement. There was a thud and for a moment, the four of them waited for something to happen. But nothing did. Slowly, they got to their feet and saw a pair of daggers protruding on the car top where Trowa and Wu Fei's heads were. Reflexively, they looked above them.

                "Look!" said Kylie, pointing at a figure on a rooftop. She tensed. "That's the last assassin."

                But before they could do a thing, Wu Fei's comm. chimed. He thumbed the switch and a voice said, "Alien attack on Sector G 250 L4 colony cluster. Require back up." He looked at his three companions and saw a look of horror in Trowa's eyes.

                "_Quatre_ is in the colony. He went there to finish up his business and I don't think he has his Gundam with him," he said. Kylie's eyes widened as she look back from the figure that were on the rooftop and then at Trowa, torn.

                Wu Fei tossed Heero the keys. "Go to our carrier now," he said. "The colony Quatre's on is too far away from MO V that it would take some time before help arrives. I'll go and handle our assassin." Without waiting for an argument, Wu Fei was off. Heero took the driving seat and drove the car towards the hanger, where the carrier that carried their mobile suit was waiting.

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                When the colony was attacked, Quatre busied himself with the evacuation of the colonists, at the same time trying to find a way to contact the Preventers. But when the alien collectors started to herd the remaining colonists towards their ships, Quatre decided not to fight them until the time was right. He waited patiently for any signs of his friends, planning to use that moment to retaliate.

                But when he was taken into the slave ship and it started to move, Quatre's heart sank. It could be that his friends would arrive too late to save him and the colonists. And if he started to fight the guards, he would ended up getting himself killed or worse the civilians as well.

                He and a few others were approaching a cell when suddenly he sensed something was coming. Something that spelt help. Something that was awfully familiar to him. He reached out with all his heart and started to put his plan into motion. He hit the nearest guard.

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                Trowa's heart sank when he saw the slave ships starting to leave the colony. His only thought was of Quatre, probably fighting alone in one of the slave ships or probably hurt or killed. He thrust his throttle forward, bringing up the speed of Heavyarms but his Gundam was not known for its speed. He knew that he would never catch up with the retreating slave ships but he intended to try to prove himself wrong.

                That's when the Mican troop appeared, blocking his way towards the slave ships. A moment later, a familiar green suit came at him. "I have no time for you," he growled, trying to get pass Trec'na. But the Mican Warrior refused to leave him alone.

                "This is war, Trowa Barton. You _have _to make time."

                Heero and Kylie were also engaged in a furious battle with K'Vai and K'Rin. As they fought, Heero could feel Kylie's desperation to break away, much to his surprise. Sure, he sometimes could read what the former assassin had in mind and sometimes he could sensed her emotions. But this time, it was as if he was feeling it himself. He could clearly feel Kylie's feeling of fear, helplessness, anger and frustration. And he didn't have an answer as to why he could sensed them from her so clearly.

                Feeling something was changing between them, Heero flipped the comm system. "Kylie, when you have the chance, break away and help the prisoners," he said, as he dodged K'Vai's blow. His opponent decided that he should fashioned a blade to counter Heero's own beam saber.

                Kylie was surprised. "What about you?"

                "Don't worry about me. I'll take care of K'Rin. You need to rescue the prisoners because your mobile suit has the ability to move faster than Trowa's. And I'm the only one capable enough to hold off K'Vai and K'Rin as long as it takes."

                She looked at him in the eye for a moment and nodded. "Understood."

                "I leave Quatre to you," he said, then aimed his buster rifle at K'Rin and fired. The Mican Warrior spun away, barely getting hit, giving Kylie the opening she needed. She gave Heero a good luck salute and flew off, heading straight toward the retreating slave ship.

                'Where are you, Quatre?' her mind furiously thought, as if trying to sense his presence among the seven slave ships. She knew it's important for her to rescue Quatre. The human race couldn't afford to lose a Gundam pilot at this early stage. 'Come on, blondie, give me a sign.'

                Suddenly one of the slave ship started to smoke and it broke away from the others. 'There you are!' she thought. She quickly flew towards the ship, trying to figure out what to do. Secretly, she had a plan in mind but that plan couldn't ensure the safety of all the prisoners on the ship. But if Quatre played his part right, she would be able to put her plan in motion.

                But that would mean one thing. She will have to sacrifice her Taurus suit. And somehow, that thought alone put a dreadful feeling inside her. But she knew she had to do it for the sake of mankind and something else. She pushed away the feeling and decided to go with the plan.

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                Quatre led the prisoners toward the hangar where some shuttles were waiting. After a hard battle, he had managed to break everyone out of the holding cell and brought them there so they could escape. Quatre also purposely caused a few explosions on the alien ship just to cause enough panic to the aliens so that they would not notice that their prisoners were escaping.

                He also sensed that his friends were out there, fighting to free them. And while he was escaping, Quatre had managed to steal a glance outside and noticed that Kylie's red Taurus was firing at the slave ship, distracting the aliens into combating her and the fires on the ship. He silently thanked her for buying him time to get the prisoners out.

                When the last prisoner was inside the shuttle, Quatre leapt onboard. That was when he heard a few of them gasped. He turned to look at the battle outside, noticing that the Taurus was heading straight towards them at an alarming speed. 'Kylie, what are you planning to do?' he wondered. One thought came to him. 'No, she can't be serious!'

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                "Let's go, big guy," she said, flying her Taurus straight towards the slave ship at maximum speed. She had seen a few shuttle being launched from the slave ship and immediately knew they were the prisoners. Thinking that the prisoners were all clear, she decided to execute her plan.

                She rammed her Taurus into the slave ship.

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                "Kylie!" Quatre cried out. The slave ship shook, as he was nearly thrown out of the shuttle. For a moment time seemed to stop. But when everything went back to normal, he noticed that the ship was smoking from the collision, indicating fires coming from the section where the Taurus had rammed into.

                Torn between making sure the prisoners were safe and making sure his new friend survive the collision, he decided one thing. He turned towards one of his employee who was supposed to fly the shuttle. "Take the shuttle and escape."

                The man blinked and looked at him. "What about you, Mr. Winner?"

                "Don't worry about me," he said, running towards the exit. "I'll find another way."

                Without waiting for any protests, Quatre exited the hangar.

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                Kylie pushed a debris that had fallen on top of her. Her body was sore all over and she felt as if she had just hit a running bullet train, head on. She was in verge of losing consciousness when she heard some running footsteps. She knew the aliens were approaching her location.

                "Hey, big guy," she said assessing the damage. It looked like her prediction was right. Her Taurus won't be fighting anymore. It's a total wreck. "Still up for a final fight?" she asked. The Taurus seemed to acknowledge her question when the controls blinked alive.

                She coughed. "Good," she said, grabbing the rifle under the seat. "Because it's not over until it's over." She took out something from a panel and pocketed it. Suddenly, she was being fired on. Kylie quickly leapt away from the line of fire and landed on the floor. She fired back, looking for a way out. But there was none. She was totally surrounded.

                She took refuge behind a fallen piece from her Taurus. She fired at the aliens every time they tried to approach her. She knew that if she didn't find herself a way out from this situation soon, her plan would fail and she would most likely captured. But as she assessed the situation, she knew there was nothing she could do to put her plan in motion. She could hold off the aliens until she ran out of bullet but she will not let herself be taken prisoner by them.

                When her rifle ran out of bullets,  she realized that there was only one thing she could do.

                "All of this for nothing, big guy," she said, glancing up. "It's been an honor fighting with you." She tried to swallow the lump in her throat. "Maybe it is appropriate that we die together."

                She took out the Taurus' self-detonation remote switch and glanced at the incoming aliens. She leapt and kicked two of them and slammed into the third one, making him hit the ones behind him. Kylie dodged a fire and threw a punch at an alien. But still they kept coming.

                Kylie smiled and showed them the self-detonation remote switch in her hands. The alien froze, unable to figure out what she had in mind. "Let's see if you can survive this," she said and pressed the button. Seeing the startled look on the aliens' face, Kylie decided on the most desperate thing. She threw the remote switch at them. The aliens jumped away from where the remote landed, giving Kylie the way she needed. As fast as lightning, she began to run.

                Then the world exploded.

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                When Quatre heard the explosion, he knew Kylie was somehow involved in it. He quickly ran towards where the explosion originated from and saw a crumpled body, lying lifeless in the hallway. Smoke and fires were starting the spread as Quatre struggled to get to the body, fearing that it could be Kylie.

                It was. A sudden sadness overwhelmed him as he dropped onto his knees. A tear started to roll down his cheek when suddenly, the body coughed. "Kylie!" he cried, reaching for her. The girl winced. "Please, not so loud. I feel as if Notre Dame's bells were all ringing in my head," she said. Surprised by her first attempt at telling a joke, Quatre forgot to laugh.

                "God, I'm so glad you're alive."

                Kylie gritted her teeth as she tried to move. "I guess I am too. But couldn't say the same about my Taurus, though," she said. Quatre looked and saw pieces of her Taurus, burning. When he returned his gaze on her, Kylie's face was unreadable and a dangerous look flashed in her eyes.

                "We better get out of here," he said, helping her up. But before they could move, they heard footsteps coming from both direction. "Too late," said Kylie.

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                When the Taurus rammed into the slave ship, Heero, Trowa, K'Vai and K'Rin were surprised. Neither of them had anticipated what happened. Duo, who had just arrived with Noin and Sally could only watched as the slave ship burned.

                "What happened?" asked Duo, clueless. "What did the crazy girl do now?"

                "She sacrificed herself," said Trowa, noticing that a few shuttles were heading away from the slave ship.

                "K'Rin, we must get back," said K'Vai. "This was totally unexpected."

                With that the two Mican Warrior left, followed by their troopers. Heero stared at the inferno before him, wondering why Kylie had done it. Then, he felt something. A tiny hope. "No, she's still alive," he said. "She has a plan of her own."

                "Should we go and rescue her?" asked Noin.

                "And what?" asked Duo. "We don't know exactly where she is. And the slave ship is too far away for us. Even if we get there, we still have to get pass the alien fighters."

                Heero nodded. "Duo's right. Kylie will find a way to escape. One way or the other." He paused. "Besides, we have to protect the fleeing shuttles from being recaptured by the aliens." Noticing that a few fighters had turned around to intercept the shuttles, Wing Zero headed towards them.

                "I'm glad someone's agreed with me," Duo said, following Heero. Then noticed something. "Hey, where's Wu Fei?"

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                Quatre and Kylie were transferred onto another slave ship as soon as they were chained. The aliens had been rough on them, especially Kylie since she caused a more damaging blow to the aliens. As they were taken to their cell, Quatre spared a glance at her. He noticed that Kylie was in a bad shape. She was limping, her right leg was burned and bleeding. She was favoring her right arm, a slightest movement caused her to gasp though she stifled it. And she looked pale and sweaty.

                Seeing her condition made Quatre even more worried. He knew she was entering the state of shock from her injuries but there was nothing he could do for her until they stop. Then as they walked, he began to notice she began to sway. And her feet buckled under her.

                "Kylie!" he called out, catching her before she hit the floor. He held her for a moment, only to be kicked by the guards. He cried out, painfully as the guards said, "Keep moving, slave."

                Supporting Kylie, Quatre resumed his journey. Once in a while, Kylie tried to take the weight off him, knowing she couldn't depend on him alone but the pain won the battle. When they at last reached their cell, the alien guard pushed Quatre inside. He stumbled and dropped Kylie who groaned. He rushed to her side and propped her up against the wall.

                He examined her wounds in the right leg as well as her right arm. Her wrist was bent in the wrong way and she cried in pain when he tried to move her arm. Her injuries told her that the explosion had impacted her right side badly. "Sorry about that," he apologized. "But I think you have a dislocated shoulder and a broken arm."

                Suppressing pain, Kylie looked at him. "Set them right, then," she said, gritting her teeth.

                "Me?"

                "Your sister's a doctor, right? You must've learned something from her," she pointed out.

                Quatre hesitated. He had learned a few first aids but never thought he would be using it now. Noticing how much pain she was suffering, he nodded. "Alright, I'll do it." He examined the arm and the wrist, trying to figure out which one he should attempt first. "I'll start with your shoulder, okay?"

                "Just do it," she hissed, bracing herself for the incoming pain. Quatre put his left hand on her shoulder and the right on her arm. Saying a silent prayer, he tugged until he heard something snapped into place. Kylie cried from the searing pain and almost lost consciousness but she fought back the feeling.

                "I'm sorry," said Quatre. "I should've said something."

                Kylie was in no mood for nice words so she snapped. "I know it's going to hurt, Winner! So let's get this part over with."

                "But are you sure you can go through that again?" As an answer, Kylie glared at him. The pain from the shoulder was subsiding but the pain in her wrist was numbing her every being. Realizing she rather suffer a great moment of pain rather than a long searing one, Quatre examined her wrist.

                He then tugged until he heard a pop. Kylie screamed and went limp. Quatre quickly caught her in his arm and shook her. "Kylie!" he called out. But the former assassin was unconscious. Realizing that this wasn't over for her, Quatre gently placed her on the floor. He covered her with his jacket and tore his shirt to bind her wrist. Then he waited, wondering if she would survive this ordeal.

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                The lounge was quiet as each of them was deep in thought. Heero, Trowa, Duo, Noin, Sally, Zechs and Dorothy had just learned from Lady Une that Quatre Winner wasn't in one of the escaped shuttles. Which meant, he's either on the shuttle that was recaptured or he had never left the slave ship. Heero thought it was the latter and a few minutes later a statement from a witness confirmed it. Quatre had turned around to check on the Taurus pilot.

                Besides that, they were also surprised by the action Kylie took. Nobody had expected that, not even Heero though he did felt something strange the moment the girl went into the battlefield. Now, they prayed for their friends and hope they would somehow escape from the alien's grasp. Or at the very least, contact them so they could locate their whereabouts.

                Trowa and Heero had also told the others where Wu Fei had gone to. Hearing that Wu Fei was facing the assassin all alone, Lady Une had volunteered to send back up. But Heero told her that Wu Fei could handle the assassin all by himself and that they shouldn't be worried about him. His main concern was that they're down with three Gundam pilots.

                Suddenly, Heero started to walk away. Duo glanced up. "Hey, where you're going?"

                "Break's over," he said. "There's no use for me sitting around here, moping. I'm going to prepare Wing Zero for the next battle." Then Zechs rose from his seat. "I'm coming with you. I'm being useless long enough," he said, looking at his broken arm.

                Heero gave him a look that told him that he knew what he's up to. Then he and Zechs left the lounge. A second later, Duo yawned and stretched. "I think I better catch some zs. No telling when you can get enough sleep," he said and left. Then Lady Une, Noin and Sally left, leaving Trowa and Dorothy alone.

                Trowa spared a glance at Dorothy. When she had heard Quatre and Kylie were captured, the girl had paled and almost dropped on her knees. By sheer will itself she tried to remain strong and calm but anxiety was clearly written on her beautiful face. As the others were talking, she had left the group to stand near the window, looking out and lost in her own thoughts.

                Mixed feelings were raging inside Dorothy as she stared out the window. She heard the others talked but they were all just noises that she couldn't make out of. When she heard Quatre was on the colony, her whole world seemed to have fallen down and when Lady Une announced that he wasn't one of the escapees, Dorothy felt empty.

                But now that the news had finally settled in, Dorothy felt fear. A sense of fear she had never felt before in her life. She feared for Quatre's safety and feared that he might be hurt or die. But most of all, she feared that she would never see him again. And that thought alone made her cold.

                In her years, she had lost many important people in her life. She had lost her mother when she was small, then her father before she started to live with her grandfather, Duke Dermail. And when he and Treize were killed in battle, Dorothy had felt she lost everything. She felt her life empty and useless. But then Quatre appeared in her life, telling her to live. And she held on to his words until now.

                But should she lost him now, would she be able to continue to live?

                'Please be well,' she thought. 'I can't live without you, Quatre.'

                Realizing what she had just thought, Dorothy was startled. What was she saying? Was she truly in need of his presence in her life? Is it true she can't live without him? When her heart answered yes to both questions, Dorothy realized something.

                "I think I'm in love with him," she whispered as her thoughts became cleared. "My god, why didn't I see this coming?" A new feeling started to overwhelm her but it was extinguished by the thought that she might not be able to see him again. That alone gave her the most pain.

                "Don't worry," said Trowa, walking towards her. Dorothy turned to him, wondering if she heard what she just said but his face didn't betray anything. He looked out into the stars. "Quatre is a very resourceful person and Kylie is one you cannot lock away for long. They will find a way to escape. Have faith in them," he said, as if trying to convince himself.

                Dorothy nodded and returned her gaze on the outer space. "Come back to us, you two," she said but in her heart, she added, 'Come back to me, Quatre Raberba Winner.'

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                Quatre woke up, as if hearing someone called his name. He looked down, to see if Kylie had been the one who called him but the girl was still out cold. He reached out to brush her hair from her forehead, only to yank his hand back. Fearing the worse, he felt her forehead again and this time he felt fire.

                'Fever!' he thought, scrambling to his feet. The guards had come a few hours earlier, providing them with blankets, water and what looked like food. He had put a blanket on Kylie and took one to wrap himself with since he had lost his shirt. He also tried to force down some water down her throat and been watching her before dozing off.

                He put his blanket around her, providing as much warmth as possible and used the remaining water to wipe her face with so her high temperature would go down. But still that wasn't enough. Quatre glanced around, hoping he could find something that could help her but realized there was none. And so he did the most desperate thing. He gathered Kylie into his arms, hoping his body could give her the warmth she needed. Occasionally, he would wiped her face with the cold water in his attempt to cool her down.

                As he held her in his arm, Quatre looked around him. The people around him were all either asleep or too frightened to offer him any help. But Quatre understood their fear. He was feeling it himself. These people had been in one of the five shuttle he had helped to release. The aliens managed to intercept it and brought the prisoners to his cell, where they waited their fate to be decided. But Quatre was determined to find a way of escape for all of them so he could find proper help for Kylie.

                Then somehow, in between the thoughts, Quatre found himself drifting off again.

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                It's been three days since the assault on the L4 colony. There was still no sign of Quatre and Kylie or even Wu Fei. The aliens had attempted to take over a colony in L5 but three Gundams managed to keep the aliens at bay and after a day long battle, they returned to the Preventers headquarters, bone tired.

                Zechs watched the three of them rested in the lounge. His heart went out to them. He wished he could fight with them but his arm refused to heal when he wanted to. Secretly, Zechs longed for a good battle and from what he had learned from Heero, the one called K'Rin had his name in her list and he want to see what she was all about.

                He looked away, into the unseen. 'Don't worry, Epyon. Our time will come soon.'

                Lady Une watched the young people in the room. She could almost feel the Gundam pilots' fatigue and emotional drainage at the loss of their friends. She could also feel Zechs' frustration at not being able to help the Gundams fight the enemy. Not only that, she could also feel Noin and Relena's pain at not being able to give comfort to their love ones. But she knew the Gundam pilots, she knew them well. Wu Fei would come back to them once he defeated the assassin. As for Quatre, he would find a way out somehow and Lady Une knew Kylie would make sure there is a way out. And when they were reunited, the team would be completed and they could take on the aliens anytime.

                Suddenly the door slid open and a Preventers agent appeared. "Ma'am," he saluted at Lady Une. She rose to her feet, a little displeased by the intrusion. "What is it?" she asked as the agent scratched his head. "Well, there's someone to see the Gundam pilots," he said, stepping aside to reveal a pale-looking man of middle fifties.

                He entered and began to look around. "Who are you?" Lady Une asked. To her surprise, the man waved her question away. "Who I am is none of your concern," he said, his voice rough. His gaze fell on the three Gundam pilots. "I am looking for one of you pilots," he said to them. He looked around the room again, as if still searching. "And I see that person isn't here."

                Before any of them could ask who he meant, he walked up to Heero, who was standing near the door. He took out a big manila envelope from his coat. "So I guess I'll just have to entrust _you_ with this," he said. Heero raised his right eyebrow, surprised. "Why give it to me?" he asked, staring at the man's face carefully.

                The man stared back at him. A smile played across his lips. "Because I know you'll deliver it safely to that person," he said, turning away. When he was almost at the door, he looked back from his shoulder. "Read it, Heero Yuy. It concerns you too."

                Duo, Trowa, Zechs, Relena, Lady Une, Noin and Sally looked at Heero, surprised. What was inside the envelope that had something to do with two of their Gundam pilots? And from the look on Heero's face, he too, was curious. They all then turned their gaze back towards the man to ask him what was inside the envelope only to discover that he was gone.

                So, Heero opened the envelope carefully. Inside, there was a folder. He opened the folder and found a few sheet of papers inside. His curiosity peaked as he started to read through. What he read gave him the biggest shock in his life. "What!" he exclaimed, his voice surprisingly soft. "It… it can't be." His hands started to shake.

                "Heero, what's wrong?" asked Relena, coming towards him. She had never seen him so upset. Heero, realizing that he had just betrayed his emotion in front of the others, quickly recomposed himself and shove the folder back into the envelope. He knew no one should see the contents of the folder before he decided what to do with it.

                "Nothing," he said in his usual monotone voice. "It's none of your business." He turned to regard the others. "If there's anything, you can find me with Wing Zero."

                The others watched him left. "Must have been some news," Duo remarked, attempting to lighten the mood. "Nah, don't worry about him. Heero was simply taken by surprise. He'll be fine once he brood around with Wing Zero." 

Despite what he said to the others, Duo wasn't convinced at all. The look on Heero's face wasn't the look of surprise. It was pure shock and nothing had ever shocked Heero like this. Nothing. And even when Heero had returned to his usual tough demeanor, Duo could almost see the shock in his eyes. Something in the envelope had given Heero the first shock of his life. And the Great Destroyer wasn't going to dismiss it so lightly. He will find out what had shaken the unshaken Heero so much.

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                Kylie opened her eyes and for a moment wondered where she was. The room was a little dark, filthy and cold. Remembering what happened, she pushed away the blanket off her and leaned against the wall. It was then she saw Quatre, sleeping beside her, hugging himself against the cold. She realized then he had made sure to keep her warm without considering his own need of warmth. Gently, as not to awaken him, she placed the blanket on him.

                "He took care of ya," said a voice. She looked at the old man before her. "He did all the work. He was the one who took care of your leg and he nursed you until your fever broke. He worked on you tirelessly until there was no energy left in him. Poor lad."

                Kylie nodded, noticing that her broken wrist was bound and the burns were healing slowly. Her shoulder was free of any pain though it was a little stiff. Overall, she's still alive. "Yeah, I guess he saved my life," she said, looking back at Quatre. He himself looked pale and tired. But even in his sleep, she knew he was having nightmares by the look at the creases on his forehead.

                Gently, she brushed a lock of hair off his forehead. A warm feeling began to crept through her and she stopped. Two mixed feelings started to battle inside her but when Quatre suddenly opened his eyes, she returned to her usual demeanor. Cold.

                "Hey, you're awake," he said, rising. For a moment Kylie looked away. "Yeah, that's what the old man over there told me. I guess I owe you my life," she said, not meeting his eyes. "Thanks for taking care of me."

                Quatre smiled, looking like a proud little boy who had just saved a cat from a tree. "Anytime."

                Then she rose to her feet. "Hey, what are you doing?" he asked, jumping onto his feet as well. "You're not strong enough to move." Kylie glanced at him. "I know what my body can do, Winner," she said, began to assess the cell. There were about twenty prisoners inside the cell and most of them seemed to have make themselves as comfortable as possible. Only a few who were still in shock at the prospect of being a slave to an alien race and the thought of not be able to see their home again. A few of them were young women but most of them were men. And the old man who spoke to her earlier seemed to be the oldest among them.

                "What's your plan, Kylie?" asked Quatre, watching her examining the cell door.

                Without looking at him, she answered, "Escape. We must get away from here."

                He was surprised at her answer. He had planned to stay on the slave ship to find out more about the aliens so they could rescue those who were taken prisoner earlier. And he thought that that was Kylie's plan too. He knew that from the moment Kylie rammed the Taurus into the slave ship, she was executing some secret plan to save the prisoners.

                Secretly, Kylie admitted that was her main plan. They had so little information about the aliens that she thought that if she could somehow board an alien ship, she could find out where these aliens came from and where they were taking the prisoners. And most of all, how did they get here so she could make sure that the aliens didn't have any back up fleet coming from their home world.

                But now that Quatre Winner was here, she couldn't afford to jeopardize his life. The Gundams were the only hope for mankind and only Quatre could pilot Sandrock better than anyone. _His_ survival was even more important to the fate of mankind than the prisoners and of course, her life.

                "We need to get out of here," she said. "The others need us to defend Earth."

                Realizing that what she was saying was true, Quatre nodded. Kylie glanced at him. "Try to find anything we can use as a weapon," she told him. He shrugged and shook his head. "Done that. The guards have taken everything that could be use as a weapon."

                Frustration started to overwhelm her but still she kept her emotions at bay. She reexamined the cell door, hoping she would find a weak spot but she found nothing but sharp edges. She then moved towards the wall, examining it.

                "Mr. Winner," said a voice. Quatre turned to look at the group of people in the far end of the cell. They were his employees, taken prisoners along with him. "What is it, Curtis?" he asked. The man showed him  a deck of cards. "Would you and your lady care for a game of poker?"

                Quatre smiled. Some people had a strange way in dealing with their current predicament and those men were a few of them. They would either play cards or tell each other stories just to get rid of the sense of helplessness in their hearts. He shook his head. "Thank you but I don't gamble," he said, glancing at Kylie to see if she was playing or not. But the girl had her eyes on the cards.

                "Can I borrow that?" she said, grabbing the cards. The men looked at her, surprised and uncertain of her. "Sure, what kind of game do you have in mind?" Curtis asked, curiously. Kylie looked at him and shook her head. "I don't play but I promise you I'll give you a set of new ones once we get out of here."

                Quatre came to her side. "What do you have in mind?"

                "We can use this to escape," she said, walking back towards the cell door. They then saw her scraped the edge of the cards against the sharp edge on the door. "Treize taught me to use everything around me to my advantage," she explained. "These cards could be the only weapons we need."

                Finally able to figure what she was planning, Quatre joined her. "You're right. If we can make the edge of the cards sharp enough, we could use it like a Japanese shuriken." Without further word, he helped her while the others watched the two planned their escape.

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                Dorothy walked along the hallway, unable to sleep. It had been five days since Quatre and Kylie were captured and there was still no sign of them. Her hope of seeing them again were deteriorating every hour because each hour the two were onboard the slave ship, they would be approaching the alien's main fleet near Pluto. And too far away from them to receive any help.

                But somehow, deep inside, she knew that the two were okay. That Quatre would return safely to her. Suddenly, she heard a noise in the hangar. Curious at who could be up this hour, Dorothy made her way towards it. She secretly hoped it would be Trowa. The Heavyarm pilot had proven to be quite an attentive listener as well as comfort.

                To her disappointment it wasn't Trowa. It was Zechs… and something else. "What?" she gasped, seeing the towering figure next to Wing Zero. "That's impossible."

                "It is possible. It's Epyon," said Zechs, looking up. "It survived the blast on Libra. After that, I fixed it and hid it, knowing that I would be needing it again." Dorothy stared at the red Gundam, its appearance was still as impressive as ever.

                She turned to Zechs. "Does that mean?"

                "Yes, I'm going to the battlefield," said Zechs. "My arm has healed and mankind need a pilot to compensate the ones it has lost." He paused. "Besides, Epyon had been calling to me. He wants to fight this war, just like you do."

                Dorothy took a step back, surprised. "What do you mean?"

                Zechs looked at her in the eye. "Fighting and wars were always in our blood, Dorothy. Which is why you love to see a battle so much. Your family was always involved in a war, one way or the other. And I know that right now you feel like fighting this enemy yourself. You just didn't know it yet."

                Before she could say a thing, he walked away. "Follow me, Dorothy," he said, as she obeyed. They walked into the darkness, out of the hangar and into a series of hallway. He then brought her to an area she had never been before and led her towards a room. There, he entered a password on the keypad and the door swung open. He led her into another room and another hallway before finally stopped in front of a door.

                "What you will see here would be just between the two of us for now," he said. "There are only a handful of people who knew what is beyond this door." He looked at her. "Do you understand?" When she nodded, he put his palm on the lock as the computer scanned it. Then the door slid open and they entered the dark room.

                Zechs then walked over to what seemed like a console and pressed a button. Bright lights illuminate the room as she covered her eyes from the sudden brightness. When her eyesight recovered, she gasped. "What does this mean?" she asked him.

                He looked at her. "It's for you to use when you're ready."

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                Day seven. Quatre and Kylie had finally laid out their escape plan to the other prisoners. Both had watched and timed the guards' routines so they could use it to escape. The plan was simple. They would attack the moment the guard came to give their early morning meal, since the guard thought the humans would usually appear easier to handle when half asleep. The two planned to use that moment to attack the guard and ran towards the hangar and steal the shuttles.

                Quatre even named some of his men to be the pilot of each shuttle because they need to do things swiftly and fast. "What are you going to do then, Mr. Winner?" one of them asked, softly. They agreed to speak softly as not to alert the guards of their plan.

                He glanced at Kylie. "Don't worry. Kylie and I will be making sure that all prisoners are safely in the shuttle. Then we'll take a shuttle and made our escape," he answered, knowing he just can't leave Kylie alone to do any of her crazy stunts.

                "Alright, we'll cooperate then," said the old man whom they came to know as Wilfred. He looked at the others. "Looks like we'll be going home." The rest of them nodded, excitedly. Each couldn't wait to leave the place.

                Quatre nodded. "Let's just act normal for the time being. If the guards saw our excitement, they might think that we're planning something and will try to ruin it." He paused. "For now, we act as if we never heard of this plan and wait until Kylie and I give the signal."

                They nodded and then returned to their places. Feeling the chill creeping back at him, he shivered. "Here, drink this," said one of the men Quatre didn't recognized. He extended a bottle towards him, which gave out a strong smell that made Quatre turned away.

                "What is it?" he asked.

                "Whisky," said the man. "I was keeping my body warm with it and it looks like you could use sip or two."

                Quatre shook his head. "Thank you but no. I don't take alcohol," he said, gesturing at the blanket around him. "I think this blanket is sufficient enough for me." The man turned to Kylie, who was deep in thought. "What about you, young lady? You seemed to _definitely_ need this," he said, wondering how she managed to bear the pain from her injuries.

                "No. I need my head straight," she said. In all her life she never touched any form of alcoholic drinks. It was always her principle to keep her head clear from that sort of thing. Suddenly a thought came to her and she looked up at the man. "Do you mind if I use it for something else?" she asked. Unsure what to do, the man handed her the bottle. "You smoke, right?" she asked as the man nodded. "Give me your lighter."

                After she acquired the items, she kept the bottle and the lighter under a blanket where they hid the cards. She then sat, without explaining her new plan. "What are you planning?" asked Quatre, curious. She looked at him. "Just watch. It's amazing how much these people managed to sneak in at the moment of great crisis."

                "Well, sometimes excitement and danger could make people do crazy things," he said but his words were directed to her. If she knew who the statement was for, she didn't show it. Instead she sat there, watching the other prisoners fell asleep, one by one. Soon, the two of them were the only ones awake.

                "That night at the New Year's ball, when the first assassin tried to kill me," said Quatre, breaking the silence. "You did saved me, didn't you?" he asked, looking at her. Kylie though startled by the topic, nodded.

                "Yeah. Heero was suppose to get the assassin before he hit you. But somehow he got passed Heero and took a shot at you," she answered. "I saw the assassin's reflection on the ice sculpture and knew that he got by Heero. But I couldn't reveal my identity at so early stage and so I purposely spilled my drinks on you." She looked at him. "I apologize for that."

                "No, it was okay."

                Kylie frowned. "But I totally did not expect the second shot. He must have been aiming at you for the second shot before Heero finally got him," she said, shaking her head. "He was really good. Wish it was me who took him down."

                "And the restaurant when we had lunch with Winteridge, Vincent and Relena? You went to the ladies. Were you out there stopping the assassin?"

                "No and yes," she said. "I was dropping off the warning letter in a tray. When the assassin took a shot at you, I ran out to give Heero a hand. Then I returned so none of you would notice I was gone for a long time."

                Quatre nodded. "I see. So the letters and flowers _were_ your doing." When she didn't answer, they lapsed into deep silence once again. "Kylie?" he said a few minutes later. She looked at him, her eyebrow raised. "What is it?"

                "How did you escape the explosion? It should have killed you."

                For a moment, something dark flashed in her eyes but then it was quickly gone as she looked away. "Can't wait to get rid of me, can you?" she said. Quatre opened his mouth to explain that it wasn't his attention when a tiny smile played at the corner of her lips, telling him she was just kidding. She answered, "When I was about to climb into the car, I saw a set of footprints that didn't belong to mine on the curb. I checked under the car and saw the explosive device. But I guess I wasn't running away fast enough to avoid the shockwave."

                "I see," said Quatre, deep in thought. "Just out of curiosity, who taught you to be an assassin?" he asked. Kylie was surprised by his question. Most people thought _Treize_ had been the one who taught her everything but Quatre Winner managed to figure out one thing that the others were only able to accept or speculate.

                "An old assassin," she said. "He was retiring from the business when I convinced him to teach everything he knew. He was one of the best around." She paused. "Treize taught me all the basics of being a perfect soldier but this man taught me everything there is to be an assassin. It took me only a few months to acquire all the skills and knowledge as well as the right motivation to went through it."

                "Motivation?"

                She looked at him. "Yeah, to kill you Gundam pilots." She looked up as the memory started to replay. "Amy never knew I went through the training. She was so concerned about being in the band." She paused. "Whenever I had a free time I would go and train with the assassin until I find my skills surpassing his."

                "What happen to him then?"

                Kylie glanced at him and shrugged. "I killed him. Retirement for an assassin means death. And I gave him that as a token of my gratitude." She then yawned. "Better get some rest, Winner. We have to be ready for anything." She lie down on the floor and covered her body with the blanket. In an instant, she was asleep.

                Quatre watched her, troubled at what he had just heard. 'Is that how you judge your life, Kylie? Is that why you always threw yourself at the feet of death?' he thought. 'That is so sad. You're living your life under the pretense that your life worth nothing more than a pile of trash. Discarded and easily forgotten.'

                That made him even sadder. He didn't know why she always brought out this sort of feeling from him but Quatre was determined to show her that her life was as precious as anyone else's in this universe. That there's more to life than just life and death. And his determination brought a warm feeling inside him that he smiled when he fell asleep.

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                The battle was tensed. Without Kylie, Heero had to face the twins alone. But luckily, something else happened and Zechs' Epyon joined the battle, taking on K'Rin. "I heard you were waiting for me," said Zechs to the female Mican Warrior.

                "Zechs Merquise or rather known as Milliardo Peacecraft, a pleasure to meet you at last," said K'Rin. "Your skills and actions intrigued me. You lived your early life as a very noble soldier but in the end, you did the most terrible thing by killing more than you should."

                Zechs was startled at how much she knew about him. A sudden thought flashed in his mind but he quickly turned his attention back to the battle. "What should I call you now, he-who-have-two-names?" she prompted.

                "Call me Zechs Merquise. I've abandoned my real name ever since he died on Libra," he said. K'Rin nodded, a gesture Zechs was expecting. "So, Treize Khushrenada wasn't the only one who died that day. Very well, the name Zechs Merquise will be the one I shall carve on my Trophy of Triumph when I defeated you."

                "Then let me warn you, lady that I'm not easily defeated," he said, swung his beam saber in which K'Rin blocked. She laughed. "So it seems, Zechs Merquise. So it seems."

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                After a week of tracking her down, he finally found her. He saw her walking among the crowd and then slipped into an alley. Quickly and silently, Wu Fei entered the alley only to find her waiting for him. She was about Kylie's height though her proud demeanor made her seemed taller. Her long hair was blue black, shining beautifully under the glare of the artificial sun. Wu Fei couldn't see her eyes because of the shades but her face looked strangely familiar.

                "So, you're still following me," she said, her voice surprisingly soft.

                Wu Fei glared at her. "Who are you and why were you trying to kill Quatre Winner?" he asked.

                "You're mistaken, Chang Wu Fei," she said. "I was sent not only to kill Mr. Winner but to kill all you Gundam pilots as well."

                "What!" he exclaimed, surprised. "Who hired you?" he asked as his mind searched for names.

                She shook her head. "I wasn't hired by anyone. I was sent here to destroy you pilots and anyone who have the potential of threatening the Warleader's mission," she said, reaching for her shade.

                "Warleader? You mean, you're…" 

                She took off her sunglasses, revealing a pair of totally dark eyes. But that wasn't what surprised Wu Fei. It was her face. She looked exactly like his late wife. "Long Meirang," he involuntarily whispered. The alien frowned at that. "My name is Mylin. And I will destroy you now."

                'No, she's not my wife,' he thought, shaking himself out from reverie. Then, he saw her coming at him with a dagger in her hand. He quickly spun away from the tip of the dagger. 'She's my enemy,' he told himself as the combat resumed.

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                Despite having Zechs joining the battle, the Gundam pilots were still outnumbered. Warleader Varishk had decided to send all his Mican Warrior to make sure the Collectors would be able to capture as many prisoners from Sector T 67 LaGrange Point 4 as possible. As it stood, the Gundams were barely able to defend themselves against the Mican Warrior, their troopers as well as the alien fighters. Noin and her team of Preventer agents couldn't even get close to the colony to help the civilians.

                Duo fought like mad. Since Quatre wasn't with them, Keil'n decided to team up with S'Irai, quite a tough combination. Trowa was also forced to take in Trec'na and Con'trai but he was doing a lot better than Duo. The Deathscythe pilot then managed a glance at Heero and Zechs in between the combat.

                Despite meeting K'Rin for the first time, Zechs seemed to be doing good. He managed to avoid K'Rin's every tricks and on occasions managed to hit her with his chain. Heero, on the other hand, was equally matched with K'Vai, having the Zero System to guide him. He fought K'Vai and at the same time managed to destroy some of the Mican trooper and alien fighters near him, making him more of a target to the aliens.

                Suddenly Duo sensed something as he quickly brought Deathscythe down, barely avoided a stray of missiles coming from Keil'n's suit. But as he did so, he failed to notice S'Irai throwing a blow from his staff. Deathscythe was hit as Duo was thrown forward. A second later, Duo looked up, a dangerous look on his face. "Now you really angered the Great Destroyer."

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                Wu Fei leapt as Mylin thrust the dagger into where he was standing. He then twisted his body and lashed out with his feet, hitting her hand. The dagger skittered on the road and she flexed her numb hand. She glared at him as Wu Fei put on a kung fu stance. In the distant, the news screen was reporting the news of the current battle. He ignored the news presenter when suddenly he heard his name was called.

                "I repeat, would Preventer agent Earth, please report to the headquarters right now?" said the female presenter, relaying the head of Preventers' message. Wu Fei stared at the image before him, seeing the battle at the first time. He saw his friends and comrades in the battle, clearly outnumbered.

                He then turned to Mylin. "I have to go. This isn't over yet." He then ran towards the hangar where he kept his Gundam. She picked up her dagger and watched him go. "Count on it, Chang Wu Fei. I'll be waiting for you."

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                "This is intense, we'll never get to the colony." Duo gritted his teeth, still trying to break away from S'Irai and Keil'n. But the two wouldn't even let him get an inch away from them. And the worse thing was that the Collectors were returning to its fleet, carrying perhaps thousands of the colonists living on the colony. "We need help. We need a miracle!"

                "Somebody called for a miracle?" Suddenly Keil'n's suit was hit by something. A second later, something blue flew overhead and Duo cheered. "Wu Fei, my man. Do you have to cut things very close?" he said as Keil'n recovered and faced Wu Fei.

                "I took a little detour to get here. Sorry I was late," he said. Then his face hardened as he regarded the Mican Warrior. "I am Wu Fei. You will suffer the wrath of Nataku." And with that, he engaged combat with Keil'n.

                With Wu Fei's appearance in the battle, the balance between the two equalized but still, none of the Gundams could get near enough to rescue the prisoners. Each time they broke free from their respective opponents, they would still need to face the Mican Trooper as well as the alien fighters. They needed to create a strategy but the person who had enough creativity  to create a strategy wasn't with them right then.

                So, in the end, they only managed to rescue one slave ship through Trowa's clever plan of distracting the warriors long enough for Duo's high speed Gundam to intercept the last slave ship. He and Wu Fei took the initiative to face S'Irai, Keil'n, Trec'na and Con'trai with the help of Noin's Preventer troops, handling the troopers and the alien fighters. Shortly after that, the aliens withdrew having captured a satisfying number of slaves although losing one slave ship.

                "Brother, there's one thing I noticed about them today," said K'Rin to K'Vai. He glanced at her suit. "What is it, sister?" he asked, curious. K'Rin bit her lips. "They seemed to be improving. And you know what could happen next, don't you?"

                K'Vai thought about his answer before he said it. "I know. They might decide to even the odds." He paused. "That might be challenging enough for us but you know we will come out as the victor."

                Not doubting his words, K'Rin nodded.

                Tired, the Gundam only managed to watch them go. "Let's go back," said Heero. He was very disappointed that even with the Zero system on, he still couldn't rescue the prisoners. And inside Epyon, Zechs was feeling the same too. While he was impressed by the skills K'Rin had showed, he was angry at his incompetence as a pilot. Silently, he vowed to rescue all the prisoners no matter what it took.

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                Again, silence loomed in the Preventers' lounge. The Gundam pilots purposely let the engineers made repairs to their Gundams so they could have a moment alone by themselves. But once they were in the room, all of them fell into a long and deep silence.

                Wu Fei studied the faces of his comrade. Already he longed to leave the headquarters and find Mylin so he could kill her. He knew that as long as she was out there, she would pose a threat to them. Her presence among the humans was like having a mine field in your backyard. But he knew that right now, his friends needed him. And only then he noticed why.

                "Where's Quatre and Kylie?" he asked, surprised that the two wasn't with them.

                Trowa shifted his gaze from the floor to the window. "They're captured in a battle a week ago. We haven't heard from them since." His voice was calm but Wu Fei could detect a distinctive anxiety in his voice. Trowa Barton was worried. Really worried.

                "Man, what it takes to get rid of these aliens?" said Duo, expressing his frustration. "Even with Zechs in our team, we're still losing." He shook his head. "We're so weak it makes me sick."

                "In my opinion, Zechs and Heero aren't the problem," said Trowa, surprising Heero and Duo. Zechs, Dorothy and Lady Une, who had joined them in the lounge were also wearing the same surprise look. "With the Zero system, they can actually defeat the Mican Warrior anytime." Trowa shook his head. "No, the problem mainly concerns us and Quatre."

                "What do you mean?" asked Duo.

                Trowa looked at both Heero and Zechs. "While I was fighting Trec'na and Con'trai, I managed to watch you two fight. For many times, you had the opportunity to defeat the two but something else was holding you back. Especially you, Heero."

                Heero was startled. He hadn't expected that.

                "We're the ones holding you back," said Trowa. "Wu Fei, Duo, Quatre, me and even Kylie." He nodded at Zechs. "And Noin and her Preventer agents. Every time you found an opening to destroy K'Vai and K'Rin, you use it to destroy the other Mican Troopers and alien fighters before they could get close to us. You were worried that they would put a strain in our defenses."

                He looked at them. "We are all Gundam pilots. We fought for peace for three years and now we're the only hope for the survival of the human race. Quatre's capture proved to us that we can't afford to lose anyone in this war. We all need each other because we're the only ones capable of stopping this madness."

                "What do you propose then?" asked Zechs, interested to know what the silent pilot had to say.

                Trowa looked at Heero. "We need something to make us competent pilots."

                "What?" said Duo. "Aren't we competent enough?"

                He shook his head. "Against any human pilot, we _are_ superior but against the aliens, we're not even close."

                It was then Wu Fei realized what he was saying. He turned to Heero. "Do you think it's possible to duplicate and install the system in our suits?" he asked Heero, who was looking at Trowa thoughtfully. Duo, finally realizing what they meant, jumped to his feet.

                "No. You guys are not thinking of using the Zero system," he said, fear was clearly written on his face. The first time he had tried the system, he had vowed never to use it ever again. He was afraid that if he used it, he would lose control and destroy everyone at sight as what was shown to him by the system three years ago.

                Heero, ignoring Duo's outburst, looked at Trowa and Wu Fei. He nodded. "Howard's already into it."

                "Howard? He's here?" said Duo.

                "Yeah, he just came." Heero then walked to the exit and stopped. "Truthfully, the Zero system might not be enough to beat them."

                Trowa nodded. "Yeah, but we could at least damage them."

                Heero looked at him and then gave him a nod. "I'll make sure Howard install the system in each suit, including the Sandrock."

                "No way," said Duo. "There's no way I'm going to use that system."

                Zechs stood and joined Heero at the door. "In that case, prepare to die, Maxwell. This war is for those who are strong. Weaklings like you would just get in the way." With that, he and Heero left the room. Duo looked at Trowa and Wu Fei.

                "He's right," said Wu Fei before Duo could say a thing. "You would just get in our way."

                Then, he and Trowa left the room. Duo slumped on the seat and buried his head in his hands. Lady Une and Dorothy could see him, shaking a little. 'I have a bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling,' he thought, as images from the past started to come back. He had nearly destroy a colony Hilde was on because of the system. And Quatre had destroyed a colony or two because of it and had nightmares from it until this day on. Duo didn't want to suffer like Quatre did. He didn't want to be responsible for killing thousands of innocent life.

                He was so deep in his thoughts, that he failed to hear Dorothy ran out from the room, leaving Lady Une to offer him as much companionship as possible.

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                The sound of running footsteps stopped Trowa and Wu Fei in their tracks. They turned to see Dorothy, running towards them. Once she caught up to them, she looked at Trowa. "Are you really going to use the Zero system?" she asked him, her face serious.

                He nodded. "Yes, it's the only way we can fight these aliens."

                "And are you going to force Quatre to use it?" she asked. "You know better than anyone here how he suffered from it. How it nearly destroyed his life? Will you have the strength to tell him that he has to use the system and see it destroy him every time he use it?"

                "I take my leave now," said Wu Fei, sparing her a glance. "This is clearly not my business."

                Trowa watched him go and turned to answer Dorothy questions. "I won't force Quatre into doing things that he doesn't want to. But you know he might not have much choice in this matter." Seeing her opened her mouth, he held up his hand. "I would never force him to do things, Dorothy. I care for him more than I care for myself. That choice is entirely up to him."

                As he started walking away, Dorothy finally saw the weariness in his steps and realized that he too felt the burden and the pain from being the last hope for mankind. It was then she realized, that he wasn't as strong as he appeared to be. He was actually as weak and human as the rest of them. "Trowa," she called out, softly. "Could you tell me if you could force _yourself_ to use the system?"

                For a moment Trowa was silent. He then turned to her and she saw a trace of fear in his eyes. "I have to, Dorothy. I have no choice." He paused. "There are so many people I want to protect." With that, he walked away, leaving her to wonder over this new side of him.

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                Duo entered the Preventers' living quarters. He was passing Heero's quarters when he suddenly stopped. He wanted to talk to Heero alone but when the door slid open, Heero's room was empty. He half expected Heero's puppy to give him a growling welcome since Adin seemed to take a dislike of him but there was no sign of the puppy. Thinking that the puppy was with Heero at the hangar, Duo turned around only to catch something at the corner of his eyes.

                On a table near a computer terminal, there was a familiar manila envelope. Duo walked towards it, only to discover it was the same envelope that was given to Heero by the strange man. Realizing that Heero hadn't said anything about it to Wu Fei, Duo speculated that it could be for Quatre instead.

                Curiosity won him over, he took out the folder inside the envelope and opened it. Inside, he saw Heero's medical reports. "What's with this?" he wondered as he read through the reports. But it wasn't until he read the second set of papers that he found out what had shocked his friend so much.

                "Whoa… this can't be," he said, nearly dropping the papers. So shock he was that Duo paled. "This is impossible," was all he managed to say. His head spinning as he tried to digest this new information. 'But it does make sense, in a way,' his thoughts told him. 'It answered so many questions.'

                He slipped the folder back inside and placed the envelope exactly where he took it. He then exited the room and entered his quarters. He sat on his bunk and glanced at the empty bunk next to his. That envelope wasn't meant for Quatre after all. Again, he tried to process the shocking revelation, hoping it was just another dream or a nightmare. But to his dismay, it wasn't.

                So he decided to say it to himself. To hear if it was really true. "Heero and Kylie are actually twins!"

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                Kylie's eyes snapped open. Somehow, something jarred her awake. She glanced at those in the cell with her. Most of them were still awake, looking at her as if waiting for something. The air radiated excitement as well as danger, making them hard to go to sleep. Slowly, Kylie pushed herself up with her left elbow.

                Next to her, Quatre stirred and pushed himself up too. "What is it?" he asked, concerned. "Is your wrist giving you trouble?"

                She glanced at the wrist. Surprisingly, two days ago, the wrist had started to swollen, indicating that it needed immediate attention. Quatre had done all he could do with the little resources he had but even he can't get rid of the throbbing pain, which was occasionally searing.

                Deciding to ignore the pain, she shook her head. "No, it's not the pain," she answered. "Were you able to sleep?"

                "Not exactly," he said. "Why?"

                Kylie nodded at the other prisoners. "They can't either. It's time."

                Quatre looked at her, astonished. Then, he felt the growing excitement in the air and within himself. He turned to look at the other prisoners and nodded. "Get ready, everybody. We're getting out of this place," he said as they nodded. Kylie made the necessary preparation as Quatre placed the prisoners in their strategic places. According to the plan, he and Kylie would be the ones near the door so they could attack the guard. The others will stay at the far end of the cell to give them room to fight if the need should come.

                "They're ready," he said to Kylie as they stationed themselves near the door. She nodded and shifted her hold on the makeshift shuriken in her left hand. Quatre nodded at her left hand doubtfully. "Are you sure you could throw them with your left hand?"

                As his answer, Kylie threw a card. It planted solidly into the metal door without making any noise. Some of the prisoners gasped at the speed of her wrist others looked on in awe. She took another card inside her pocket and turned to Quatre. "A good soldier is always able to use his left hand as well as he uses his right. Treize taught me how to train my left hand to be as useful as my right so that I won't be caught at a disadvantage should my right hand is rendered useless."

                "I see," said Quatre. "That's a good skill to adopt."

                They waited silently. "Once we broke the other prisoners free, we need on person to lead them to the hangar and another to hold off the guards," she whispered, watching the door carefully. "I want you to lead them, Quatre," she said. "They seemed to take your every orders well."

                Before he could say a thing, there was a noise and the cell door slid open. Kylie's wrist flicked and a card struck the alien's neck as blood spurted. The alien dropped the tray he was holding and screamed. But the sound that came out was a gurgling sound.

                More guards came as Quatre pushed down the first one and took his weapon. He leapt above the fallen guard to deal with the ones in the hallway but as soon as he saw the big blaster in their hands, he raised his arm. Suddenly, a flash of red leapt before him as the guard in front was drenched with the contents of a bottle. Kylie gave the aliens a very nasty smile as she took out the lighter.

                The aliens looked at each other, not able to figure out her plan. But when the drenched guard saw the fire appeared from the lighter, his face turned to one of horror as he raised his blaster to shoot her. But with a spinning kick, Kylie managed to knock the blaster away and threw the lighter at him.

                With a whoosh, the guards were on fire. The other guards tried to help him and at the same time trying to get a hold of the two prisoners but Kylie gave the burning guard a hard kick. He toppled and fell on top of his fellow comrades as some of them caught on fire as well. Quatre then finished the other remaining guards, half surprised by what happened and half disturbed by her actions. He had never thought she could be so heartless.

                Kylie turned to him. "The other guards are coming. Go and free the other prisoners," she said, as she picked up the fallen rifle. "Get them to the hangar and get out of here." She turned her attention on the other end of the hallway. "I'll hold them off."

                Quatre glanced back, to see that the other prisoners were helping the others out of their cell. He looked back at Kylie who had leapt over the burning bodies and was standing inside the next hallway. "Kylie!" he called out. "We must escape."

                She turned back to him. "Go," she said. "I'll catch up with you."

                "Mr. Winner!" one of his employee called. Quatre looked back at them to see that all the prisoners were released and looking at him. They were all waiting for his next orders. Torn between helping out Kylie and getting the prisoners to safety, he spared a last glance at Kylie who was throwing the sharp-edged cards indicating the guards were already there.

                "Go!" she growled, raising the rifle. He nodded and turned to the prisoners. "Come on, this way."

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                Kylie waited until the others were gone from the detention hall. She then counted until sixty to give them one minute head start before she unleashed her plan. Shots rained from both side of the other hallway as she was forced to retreat back into the detention hall and made her stand there. Once her count reached seventy, she ceased her firing and ran towards the other end of the hallway, where the others had disappeared to.

                She looked to her right, where Quatre had led the prisoners into and looked back. The alien guards were making their way into the detention hall, quickly but cautiously, fearing it could be a trap. Once she saw one of them poked his head into the hall, Kylie pulled the trigger, blowing his head off.

                She then entered the hallway to her left, knowing that she had to lead the aliens away from the others and at the same time, get whatever she was searching for. Her only hope was that Quatre would follow her orders and get out with the others.

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                Quatre and the others finally reached the hangar without any trouble. Quickly, he supervised the boarding, making sure that the prisoners were equally divided in each shuttle just to avoid overloading. The pilots he had chosen to pilot the shuttles were already in the cockpit, figuring out how to fly the unfamiliar shuttle and some had already brought the shuttles alive.

                As the last prisoner boarded the shuttle, Quatre's gaze turned back towards the entrance, waiting for Kylie. "She isn't coming," said the old man, Wilfred. He stood next to Quatre. "When she told you to go, I could see in her eyes that she was staying on this ship."

                "What!" said Quatre. Suddenly, the ship shook as they heard an explosion coming from somewhere in the ship. His eyes widened as he realized something. The scene was all too similar to the incident a few days ago!

                "I have to stop her," he said, started to make his way back.

                The old man quickly pulled his arm. "No! You must come with us," he said. "That's what she told me to do."

                "She _told _you?" he chorused, disbelief. Then he remembered what she said about being an assassin. What she said about death being her permanent retirement. "No, she can't be planning to destroy herself."

                "She is, lad," said the man, nodding sadly. "She's one brave lass."

                Quatre frowned. "Well, I'm not going to let her," he said, his voice sounded different somehow. "I'm going to help her see her life's worth something. Even if I had to get myself killed for it."

                Shaking his head, the old man released his hold. "I guess you should think like that, lad," he said, as if knowing something that Quatre don't. Wilfred looked at him. "You're a Gundam pilot aren't you?" he whispered. Surprised, Quatre looked at him.

                "How did you know?"

                "Only a Gundam pilot have enough sense _not_ to leave a fellow comrade to die," he said. "Your hearts are too pure and too kind to let that happen." He looked at Quatre and smiled. "Get her back safely, lad. You would be lost without her in your life."

                Not knowing what the old man meant, Quatre nodded and told his pilots to take off. When they were all out of the hangar, he turned and ran back into the hallway, back into the chaos.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	6. Chapter 6: Mixed Emotions

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!☺

**TIMELINE:** The story mostly takes place after Endless Waltz. To be more precise, one year after Endless Waltz. That means two years after my very own Treize's Revenge series.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST VI: MIXED EMOTIONS. 

By Arayelle Lynn.

                Quatre ran like he never run before. His heart pounding and his feet felt like jelly. His throat and chest were on fire but still he continued on, knowing a second wasted for a break would mean death, approaching Kylie. Occasionally, he encountered some of the alien guards but he dealt with all of them, quickly and not stopping at any costs.

                'I hope I'm not too late,' he thought. In his heart, emotions started to mix around. The times he had spend together with Kylie in the cell made him able to understand more of the very reserved and quiet girl. Despite what happened, she was still living with the pain of the past, still thinking that her existence was a mistake. The same emotions he went through the day he pulled the trigger of Wing Zero's buster rifle on the innocent colony. Until now he still couldn't forgive himself for it.

                And he knew exactly how dangerous that feeling was.

                Now, he knew that in order to completely forgive himself of the incident, he had to show Kylie how to forgive herself and to tell her how precious her life was to the others. And to him. It was right then, he realized the meaning of Wilfred's words to him before he left. He realized why he had given so great attention on the girl. Something about her, something inside her, appealed to him. And something inside him wanted to heal the pain and fill emptiness in her life. And that feeling had somehow existed before he even met her.

                'Kylie, wherever you are, please don't die,' he thought. 'Please don't die.'

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                Kylie fought her way through the guards. They had her cornered in two directions as she was forced to leap into the only room available. She had purposely caused the explosion to distract the aliens long enough from going after the fleeing shuttles, the way she had planned it in that battle where she was captured. Knowing that the prisoners and Quatre were safely on their way towards Earth somehow eased the anxiety in her heart as she accepted the eventual death.

                But her plan was not yet fully accomplished. She still had to find a computer terminal on this ship, download a few necessary information and transmit it back to Earth. Only after she'd done that would Kylie finally embraced her final gift. Death.

                She turned to examine the room only to find out it wasn't a room at all. It was a huge chamber. A tower was standing in the middle of the chamber, a few hundred feet long. There were catwalks connecting to the tower and she was standing on the lowest catwalk. As she look down, she noticed that the floor below was only twenty feet from her, but enough to break a leg if she fall.

                She then heard a humming sound coming from the tower and realized that she was in the engine room. Slowly, she made her way towards the engine as a plan started to form inside her head. But before she could get near it, she heard a shout from the catwalk on the other side and the dirt near her feet exploded.

                She jumped and released her own fire. The guards were already pouring into the chamber and she was a sitting duck without anything to dodge into. Ignoring pain, she flicked her right wrist, sending three makeshift shurikens flying towards the aliens as they struck two and missed another.

                Kylie killed the third guard when suddenly a series of shots coming from above. She looked up and released some of her own, killing all of them. But that distraction proved to be futile for her. Back where she had came from, a guard was aiming at her blaster. Before she could see what was going to happen, her blaster sailed away from her as her left hand felt like fire. The guard aimed again as Kylie reached for her cards. But she knew even them, would be useless.

                Suddenly, a shot rang and the guard toppled down. Swinging by a cable from above, Quatre landed on the catwalk behind Kylie. She turned, surprised. "What are you doing here?" she hissed, displeased at seeing him there. She had thought he was safe in the shuttle but he defied her orders.

                He was about to say his reasons when something behind her caught his attention. Kylie saw his eye widened as the look of horror flashed on his face. Suddenly, he pushed her aside and it was then Kylie saw the fallen guard had risen and was aiming at her.

                But Quatre had purposely placed himself before her, shielding her from the coming assault. The guard fired as Kylie watched in horror. Quatre was hit and was thrown aside and over the railing and down the twenty feet drop. It was like a slow motion movie but Kylie found herself choked as Quatre hit the ground. She then turned to the guard and flicked her wrist, killing the guard instantly. Then, she got hold of the cable Quatre used and slid down.

                She landed a few feet away and ran towards him. "Quatre, are you alright?" she said, taking him into her arm. She ignored all the pain as her main concern was to make sure he was alright. Quatre coughed as blood trailed down his mouth. And his head was starting to swell and bleed. "Quatre?"

                "My chest hurt," he managed to croak. Suddenly, they were rained with bullets. Kylie looked up to see the guards shooting at them from above. "Come on," she said, throwing his arm over her right shoulder. "We must move out." She took Quatre's blaster in her left hand and started to shoot to cover their escape.

                They backed into a small room where Kylie found a ventilation chamber and shove Quatre into it. He groaned but still she continued to lead him deeper into the chamber to find a safe place to stop. When she felt it was safe to stop, she gently placed Quatre on the floor and began to examine his injuries. He was pretty bad. His ribs were cracked and he showed all sign of internal bleeding. There was a gaping hole in his right side. But Kylie was more concerned of the head injury.

                "Quatre, whatever you do, I need you to stay awake," she said, looking into his glassy eyes. He took a moment to register what she said and nodded. "Good. I'm going to get us out of here but I need you to help me out. I can't carry you all the way _and _fight the aliens."

                "I'll help," he gasped, started to reach for the blaster. But Kylie pulled it away.

                "No. I'll do the shooting and you just keep yourself awake, okay?"

                He nodded, struggling to get on his feet. She helped him up and supported him on her shoulder. Ignoring the grinding pain in her wrist, she clamped her right hand on his waist, putting a pressure on the bleeding wound. "Kylie, your wrist," he reminded her. She looked away to wipe the tear of pain from her eyes and looked at him. She smiled. "It's fine, really." She shifted her hold on the blaster and said, "Ready Quatre?"

                "Yeah," he gasped.

                Kylie looked ahead. "Alright, let's go."

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                After a treacherous journey, Kylie and Quatre finally saw their goal. From the vent, they could see that an alien fighter was just waiting for them but another look told them that it was well guarded. "Hmm… looks like they're waiting for us," she reported.

                "Should we wait until the coast is clear?" asked Quatre, fighting the dark spots that had started to bother him a few minutes ago. His body was losing blood rapidly.

                Kylie glanced at him. "Yeah, you would want that badly, wouldn't you? Sorry, Blondie. You're not going to sleep on my watch," she said, gently but firm. Occasionally while making their way here, Quatre was lapsing into unconsciousness and back. So, she ignored her own personal urges for a break and decided to keep moving.

                "Maybe you should leave me here, Kylie. Go back and help the others," he said, his speech starting to slur. "Take Sandrock and fight with him on my behalf," he offered. Kylie frowned and stared at him. "Listen, Winner," she said. "If you continue talking like that again, _I'm_ going to kill you myself. I'm not leaving you here and that's that."

                For a moment, Quatre could sense emotions ran along the words and was touched by it. Forcing himself awake, he shifted his weight from her shoulder. "What's the plan then?" Kylie sighed. "There's no other choice but to fight them. They would surely have other guards guarding the other hangars while the others look for us. If we attack them now instead of laying low as they're predicting, we should have the element of surprise."

                "Great, I'm ready," said Quatre.

                "Right," she said as she kicked the ventilation grille open. She started to fire at the guards, killing some of them as the two humans jumped to the floor. Kylie's right leg nearly buckled from both injury and the weight but still she fought on. They dodged behind something. "When I gave the signal, ran towards the alien fighter," she told him. He nodded.

                She then released a series of shots, forcing the guards to take cover. When the coast was clear, she signaled and the two of them started to run. As they ran, Kylie released her shots as Quatre threw the cards at any guard who jumped out. When they were onboard, Kylie turned and aimed at the thing they had ducked into and shoot. An explosion nearly threw them off as Kylie helped Quatre into the cockpit and placed him on the copilot seat.

                She started the engine, thinking the explosion would distract the aliens long enough and launched. Quatre glanced at her and smiled. "You always seemed to cause huge fireworks everywhere you go," he commented and then lost consciousness. Kylie quickly reached out and shook him.

                "Quatre, wake up!" she shouted, shaking him. But the Sandrock pilot was already in a dreamless sleep. She bit back rude words and glanced at him. Fear and deep concern were starting to eat her very existence. "Hold on, Quatre. Don't die on me. Just hold on." And she kept saying the words as if they were some sort of a magical chant.

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                When the Preventers detected alien shuttles coming from the opposite way, the headquarter burst with activity. Then, a transmission came in through the command bridge, identifying them as the prisoners who were captured a week and a half before. Quatre's group.

                Realizing that somehow Quatre and Kylie had managed to free the prisoners, Lady Une sent out her agents to intercept the shuttles, fearing that there would be alien fighters waiting to recapture the prisoners. The Gundam pilots were already off to the designated coordinate before the command was even out from her mouth, hoping that their friends were in one of the shuttles.

                But they weren't, according to a man named Curtis. He told them that the two had gone back to make sure that _they_ got out safely. The Gundam pilots watched as the Preventers herded the shuttles into their base. They intended to wait for some time, hoping that Quatre and Kylie had somehow managed to steal another shuttle and escaped.

                Back on MO V, Lady Une and Dorothy waited patiently but by the time the prisoners were all taken care of and provided with proper medical care, all hopes started to vanish. 'Quatre, where are you?' Dorothy thought, praying hard. Beside her, Lady Une was staring at the comm., waiting for the Gundam pilots to give their reports. Noin and Sally had taken the initiative to supervise the placement of the prisoners on her behalf.

                "Maybe they didn't make it," said Duo, breaking the intense silence. They had been waiting for hours but still there was no sign of anything that come from the opposite side. "Maybe they're taken prisoners again."

                Inside his Gundam, Heero frowned. 'Come on, you two,' he thought, shifting his hold on the control stick. He then closed his eyes. 'Zero, show me the way,' he said to his Gundam. Suddenly, something blinked. "There!"

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                "We have enemy fighters entering the asteroid belt near Jupiter," an agent reported. Hearing that, Lady Une snapped out from her reverie and went to him. "Reports, agent," she ordered, knowing that these could be the ones who were ordered to recapture the prisoners.

                "Fifteen of them, Lady Une," he answered. "They're heading straight for us."

                Lady Une turned to Noin. "Ready to deploy our mobile suits."

                "Ma'am," said the agent on the scanner. He frowned. "Something strange is happening."

                She turned to him. "What is it?"

                "They seemed to be firing at one of their own."

                "What!" said Lady Une. Then the answer hit her. "Kylie."

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                "Incoming!" said Duo as soon as he saw the alien fighters entering the asteroid belt. To his surprise, he saw a battle took place in the belt. "What the… why are they firing at each other?" he looked at his friends for an answer.

                Trowa gave him one. "They're not firing at each other. They're attacking a fighter. Do the math."

                His jaw dropped. "You mean, Quatre and Kylie are in the fighter?" As soon as he said that, Wing Zero flew passed him, entering the asteroid belt. Heavyarms followed him after, each racing to get into the battle. Not wanting to miss the action, Duo cranked up his own suit to join them.

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                When the alien fighters started their pursuit, Kylie knew she had to lose them or risk being space dust. And she knew she had to do it fast. The longer she was stalled, the lesser chance it was for Quatre to get help. Now, she had both hands on the control stick as she maneuvered the fighter into the asteroid belt, hoping the asteroid would make it hard for the aliens to target them.

                Flying through the asteroid belt was never an easy job, especially if you had enemies running along your tail. The trick was that you have to watch out for your enemy and at the same time, watch out for the asteroids that would be coming at you in every direction.

                But Kylie wasn't worried. When she was twelve, she went through the training and managed to come out alive, the only cadet in her team of eight. Not only that, she had came out with a new record, beating the record of a certain former cadet Zechs Merquise with only a few seconds.

                No. What made her worried was how long Quatre could hold on. Praying hard, she hoped that the rumor about the Gundam pilots being unkillable was true. "Hold on," she whispered to Quatre and to herself.

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                Even at maximum speed, Trowa knew they were still too far away. He watched as some of the fighters were destroyed, having collided with the asteroids or the fires from the fleeing fighter. But every time that happened, Quatre's fighter got hit by the other fighters. Desperate to get to Quatre before it was too late, Trowa said a silent prayer. "Hold on, buddy."

                Heero's jaw was set. Every time the fighter was hit, his grip on the throttle hardened. He wished Wing Zero was a little faster but he knew even now, Wing Zero was giving him all that he could. So, he decided to calm himself, knowing that he would make the aliens pay for what they're doing to his sister.

                Suddenly, a shot hit the fighter as he saw smoke pouring out. Then the fighter Kylie and Quatre were on slowed and almost hit an asteroid if it wasn't for a clever maneuver from its pilot. But still, the fighter was a sitting duck, a perfect target for the other fighters.

                "No!" he found himself shouted, firing his buster rifle. Thankfully, he was close enough to the battle that the fire sliced through the enemy troop.

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                When she was hit, the fighter shook as she heard explosion coming from the engines. The fighter slowed as the alarms deafened the cockpit. She checked the system, discovering that she had lost the engines and weapons. It was then she knew it was her end.

                But somehow she felt cheated. She didn't mind if it was her fate alone but now Quatre was sharing the same fate with her. She felt cheated because she had done all she can, risked her life and everything to make sure Quatre didn't die in the hands of the assassins. But now she discovered, to her disappointment, that Quatre would die because of her incompetence.

                Slowly, she made her way towards Quatre who was thrown out of his seat. He was still unconscious and his breathing slowed and ragged. Seeing him, all the emotions that plagued her every time he was near, started to overwhelm her. And she found herself regretting that she would not be able to experience them again.

                She gathered him into her arms, holding him close. "I'm sorry, Quatre. I tried," she said, so softly that she herself didn't hear it. She then looked out the screen, staring at the alien fighters and waiting for the final blow. Then the universe was bathe in white light.

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                The room was quiet as they waited for Quatre to wake up. It had been a touch and go for him a few moments ago and they're waiting for him to regain consciousness so they could make sure he's out of danger. As usual, Trowa was sitting close to Quatre, as if guarding him from any harm. Dorothy was sitting on the other side of the bed, standing by patiently, wanting to be there when he woke up just in case if he needed something. 

As usual, Heero stood near the window, leaning against the wall. Wu Fei was also standing on the other side of the room. Zechs and Noin were sitting next to Lady Une and Relena, who had came when she heard Quatre and Kylie escaped. And Duo was standing at the foot of the bed, looking at Kylie who was standing near the door, further away from their group. Occasionally, he would return his gaze on Heero, sizing them up. It was then he noticed how frighteningly similar they were. Both had the same intensity in their eyes as well as the coldness in their demeanor to drive people away from them. And not to mention both had the tendency to do the craziest things.

                Duo actually do not know what he was supposed to do with the secret that he discovered. He couldn't tell Heero that he knew, fearing he would do something to him for going through his things and he couldn't tell anyone because the secret wasn't his to tell. So, he decided to stay quiet, to see what would Heero do next.

                A groan interrupted his thoughts as all of them turned their attention on the figure on the bed. "Ow… my head hurts," was the first thing Quatre said. He looked at the people around him, as if seeing them for the first time. "Trowa?" he croaked.

                "I'm here, buddy," said Trowa, surprisingly gentle. "You're safe."

                Quatre smiled his angelic smile. "Thank goodness. For a moment there I thought I was in heaven."

                It was then Dorothy broke into tears and held him. Surprised, he let her hold him. "God, I thought we lost you forever. I thought we would never see you again." He smiled and titled her chin. He then wiped her tears. "I'm here now, aren't I?" he said, touched by her display of concern.

                Dorothy nodded and sniffed, embarrassed. "Don't you ever do that to us again," she threatened. Quatre nodded, weakly. He looked around the room, searching for a face. "How are you feeling?" asked Dorothy. He returned his gaze back to her and checked himself out. His chest was heavily bandaged and so was his pounding head.

                He winced. "I'm fine, I guess," he said, turning to look at Trowa. "Now, I _know_ I will be alright."

                Then the alarm blared as Lady Une reached for her comm. "What is it?"

                "The aliens are attacking a colony in L2," came a female voice. Lady Une looked up and nodded at the Gundam pilots. Zechs, Wu Fei and Noin quickly followed Lady Une out of the room. Heero and Trowa exchanged glances and made their way towards the exit. Duo winked at Quatre and waved. "I'll leave you with these beautiful ladies. Catch ya later, buddy boy."

Kylie pushed herself from the wall, slowly and said to Heero as he was passing by. "I'm going to borrow a mobile suit. Wait for me," she said. That made Heero stop in his tracks. He looked her over. She had refused to have the doctor looking at her burns and insisted on waiting for Quatre to wake up. Heero hadn't taken a careful look at her before but now he noticed she was wearing a glove on her right hand.

                To everyone surprise, Heero took an empty vase and threw it at her face. Quick as lightning, Kylie's left hand shot up and caught it inches away from her face. His eyebrow raised, impressed by the display but he shook his head. "No can do. You still need to have yourself examined by the doctor."

                "I'm fine," she said, placing the vase back on the table.

                Heero folded his arm. "Really? Pick up the vase again," he said and she reached out. "With your _right_ hand."

                For a moment Kylie reached with her right hand and hesitated. She shook her head, in dismay. "You will need your right hand to control the right stick since it hold the main functions of a mobile suit. Although your left hand is as capable as your right, it could do you no good." He glanced at Quatre. "Stay here with Quatre and let the doctor take a look at you, okay?" he said, looking at her in the eye. It was then, Kylie saw something strange shone in his Prussian blue eyes. She nodded.

                Heero nodded at the doctor who had came in to examine Quatre. "She's ready." Then, he Trowa and Duo left for battle.

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                Quatre watched as the doctor treated Kylie's burns and broken wrist. The doctor had actually startled when he was examining the swell in her right hand. "How long has it been like this?" he asked her. Kylie, who was stifling the pain, shrugged. "Sometime ago."

                "Four days to be precise," said Quatre. "It only got worse two days ago."

                The doctor looked at him. "Has she been using this wrist?"

                "Yeah," he answered, looking at her.

                The doctor pressed gently on the swell and each time, Kylie stifled a gasp. He then shook his head. "We might have to x ray it, just to make sure." He then left the room to prepare for the x ray. Again, the room was plunged into silence.

                Quatre leaned back, trying to ease the pounding in his head and trying to stay awake. He had told Relena and Dorothy to leave for Kylie's benefit so they wouldn't see how vulnerable she could be. But Kylie, he knew it now, would never show her weakness even it was necessary.

                "Why?" suddenly a soft voice asked. Quatre turned and saw Kylie staring at her hands. She looked up. "Why didn't you leave when I asked you to? Why did you came back for me? Why took the bullet for me? And most of all, why are you being so kind to me when I have been everything but that?"

                For a moment, Quatre could see the pain in her eyes. Then, he reached out and put his hand on hers. "Because you never had anyone in your life who would show you one act of kindness." She looked at him, startled. "But you could've been killed because of me," she said.

                "Don't blame yourself for it," he said. He then pushed himself to a sitting position. He looked at her. "If that incident repeat itself, even a thousand times, I would gladly take the bullet for you again," he told her.

                Surprised by his words, Kylie stared at him. "Why? Why would you do that for me?"

                He looked away, as if shy by what he was going to say next. He stared at his lap. "Because I can't let you die, Kylie. Your life is so lonely and so sad. You risked your life everyday for people who didn't know what you were doing for them. And yet, you never ask _anything_ from _anyone_." He looked at her again. "Not even from us who's fighting _with_ you. That's why I feel that someone need to watch over you, to show you that life is more than just getting yourself killed."

                When she started to open her mouth, he quickly interrupted what she was about to say. "I know you, Kylie. I know that you think no one cares if you live or die. That no one would miss you if you were gone." He stared at her, blushing. "The truth is, _I_ care. I care for you so much that I know _I'll_ miss you if you were gone. I'll miss you a lot."

                Kylie stared at him. The feeling she had experienced before were starting to overwhelm her again. The same feeling, which she once thought, was annoying and weakening her sense. It was then she realized what the warm feeling was. She had experienced it before when Treize took her in but this time, the feeling was slightly different. This time, the feeling felt just right.

                When she saw him blushed, she knew that he's feeling the same way too. But she still had to identify exactly what it means. Then it came to her. Her protectiveness, her concern for him, the reason why she risked her life so blindly for him. Relena had the same effect too on Heero. And there, she realized that she's in love with Quatre. Love him with her whole being.

                "Thank you," she said, as Quatre turned to look at her, surprised. "Thank you for everything you've done. And I'm sorry for what I've done to you." She put her uninjured hand on his, gently. She smiled at him, a smile that Quatre found so beautiful that he also smiled.

                "There's nothing to be forgiven," he said. "Let's put the past where it is and look into the future."

                For a moment, Kylie hesitated. Then she nodded as the doctor returned. He looked at them, curious at what had just transpired between the two and turned to Kylie. "Are you ready, young lady?" She glanced at Quatre and nodded. Then they were gone, leaving him to wonder what had just happened.

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                The battle ended well. They managed to drive the aliens away without having to lose a single colonist. Somehow, the return of Quatre and Kylie gave them the boost of motivation they needed. As the others were assembling in Quatre's room, Heero made his way towards Kylie's knowing she had just finished her treatment.

                He found her there, lying on her bed. Adin was with her, sleeping. Both jumped when Heero entered the room. "What is it?" she asked, seeing the serious look on his face. Instead of answering, he took out the envelope and handed it over to her.

                "This came for you while you were gone."

                The look on her face told him she hadn't expected it. He watched her took out the folder and read its contents. Then, her face changed from the look of curiosity to the look of pure shock. She looked at him. "What does this mean?" she demanded. Heero shrugged. "I was about to ask you the same thing too. I thought it was your doing."

                She shook her head. "This can't be," she whispered. Then her eyes widened as she realized that it was possible. And somehow she knew it inside her heart. Heero nodded, telling her that he also reached to the same conclusion. "We could ask the person who sent this, you know," he said, offering her a choice.

                "How?" she asked.

                Heero took the folder and showed her the small scribble at the back. "Rui's Lounge, 117" she read. "I know that place. I stayed there when I was Treize's Revenge," she said, standing up, looking for something.

                "Here," said Heero, extending a gun at her. "If we're going to find out about our past, we might have to decide what to do with him," he said. Kylie nodded and tucked the gun inside her belt. She then reached for her coat and put it on.

                "Let's go."

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                Rui's lounge was exactly as it was three years ago. Shabby and dark, it offered little comfort for anyone seeking it but offered as much privacy as anyone who needed it. Perfect place for criminal activities or criminal hideout. Its owner was unknown but none cared enough to find out.

Heero and Kylie walked along the hallway, searching for room 117. Finding it at last, they knocked and the man that came to the Preventers headquarter invited them in. He took one look at Kylie then at Heero and nodded. "Yes, now I see the resemblance," he said to himself. He turned to Kylie, who was examining the room for traps. "Hello, young lady. Glad to know you're here at last. Someone paid me well to find out stuff about you."

                Kylie looked at the man. "Who paid you?" she asked.

                "Direct to the point. He warned me that about you," said the man, sitting down. "I'm a private detective. Mr. Treize Khushrenada hired me five years ago." He saw the look of surprise on her face and held up his hand. "He paid me dearly to find out about your family so you would at least be able to find out more about your past before becoming a street thief."

                He turned to Heero. "But _you_, that was a totally unexpected discovery," he said. "I guess if Treize was still alive, he would've laughed at this turn of event." He looked at them. "So, are you two here to find who you really are or are you planning to shut me up?"

                Heero spared a glance at Kylie who nodded. "Talk," he said, leaning against the door as she covered the window. The man nodded and sighed. "Where should I begin?" He thought for a moment and nodded. "Right. Your real name, Heero Yuy, aren't that far from your current one. Your real name is Heero Marumi, named after the infamous Heero Yuy." He turned to Kylie. "And you, young lady, was once called Sarashina Marumi. Both of you were the only children of Kakeru Marumi and Sheila Constantine-Marumi, personal assistants for the late Heero Yuy himself."

                The two exchanged glances, not expecting that their parents had once worked closely with the legendary pacifist. The man continued, as if narrating a story to a couple of five-year-olds. "When Heero Yuy was killed and the communication between the colonies as well as Earth were severed, your parents took on the job to maintain peace within the colonies and tried to gain a close relationship with Earth."

                He looked at them. "Then on the fifth anniversary of Heero Yuy's death, the two of you were born. But despite all threats on your life, your parents still worked hard and endlessly so the colonies would return to their pacifist ways and not taking action against Earth for the late Heero Yuy's death. And for a moment there, their hard work seemed to be paying off."

                "Then two years later, your parents received an invitation from a pacifist nation called the Sanc Kingdom. King Peacecraft somehow heard of your parents' effort and was impressed by it. He invited them over to discuss ways Earth and the colonies could live together in peace."

                Then his face was grim. "But then something else happened. Someone in the colonies didn't like what your parents were accomplishing and decided to eliminate them. They thought that your parents' effort was interfering with their major plan."

                "Operation Meteor," Heero whispered, realizing what he was referring to. The man nodded and continued. "Yes, Operation Meteor. A plan to devastate Earth and render it useless. Somehow, your father caught the sense of danger and assigned five of his most loyal and trusted bodyguards to took care of you and your mother while he tried to convince Dekim Barton to drop Operation Meteor."

                For a moment, they saw sadness in the man's eyes but he continued. "Your father was assassinated before he even got to Barton's whereabouts. Your mother fled with the two of you and the five bodyguards. But the assassins found them and in that moment, your mother decided to make a stand and assigned two of the youngest bodyguards to flee with her children."

                He looked at them. "A remarkable woman, your mother was. She was a trained hand in combat, only to disinherited herself from her Greek aristocrat family to marry your father and became a pacifist. She fought the assassins bravely to the end, buying time for the two bodyguards to escape with you two."

                "Somehow, the two bodyguards decided to split up to heighten the chances of one of you getting through alive. They agreed to meet up again a year later once everything was settled." He looked at Heero. "Your bodyguard, Will Stachbeck, fled to the colony cluster L5 and sought refuge in the Long clan. There he stayed for a few months before moving to colony L2." He shook his head. "That proved to be a fatal mistake. One of the assassin who killed your parents saw him and killed him. He decided to took you in and mold you into a ruthless assassin."

                He stared at Heero. "And I guess the rest you knew. The assassin you knew as Adin Lowe was then killed and you were adopted to pilot a Gundam in the Operation Meteor." He laughed bitterly. "That was the irony of the story. You became the center figure of the secret operation that your father sacrificed his life to have it stop from happening. To add to the irony, you were given a codename that was similar to your real name."

                He then turned to Kylie. "And you young lady, your days after that wasn't a walk in the park either. Your bodyguard, Cray Forest brought you to Earth so he could somehow seek refuge in the Sanc Kingdom. But when he heard of the Kingdom's fall by the hands of the Alliance, he fled to Thailand and changed your identity. He used his maiden name, Rayden and adopted you as Kylie Rayden. But the assassin caught on his plan and tracked you down. In the chaos, Cray Rayden handed you over to a family of twenty kids, promising the parents that he would come back and take you and pay for their help."

                "However, he never returned. The family, sold you and one of their own to a man so they could regain the money they used on you. The money Rayden promised them as a reward." His eyes sad as he regarded Kylie. "That's why you ended up with _him_."

                "Alonso Di'Pardi," she named him. Her voice was as cold as ice and there was a trace of burning hatred in her voice that Heero never heard before. The man nodded, then looked at them. "The two of you suffered the most ill-fated life a child could ever had. At such a young age, you two were stripped off an adult warm comfort and were plunged into the darkest lifestyle mankind had ever offered."

                There was silent as he looked up to the young faces before him. Then he sighed. "Maybe I should have told you earlier that the story of your parents inspired me. It made me mourned for the lives lost for this peace."

                He then reached out under his seat and took out a fat folder. "After I heard about the sacrifice your parents made, I spent my remaining life researching your family. Even when Treize Khushrenada died three years ago, I continued searching. It hadn't been easy because no one knew what your parents really did. Dekim made sure they erased your parents from this existence so they wouldn't be creating another Heero Yuy. And since King Peacecraft and family were killed in the fall, your parents' story seemed to die with him." He extended the files. "But I guess, now it would be appropriate for their children to know it. This folder contained everything I found regarding your past. And I'm giving it to you to decide what to do with it."

                As Heero took it, the man leaned back in the seat as if telling the story drained him somehow. He looked at the two, wearily. "Now, you two are creating history as your parents was. But this time, you're fighting for the _survival_ of humankind. Trust each other and you'll never falter." He paused. "And keep this story inside you at all times."

                "One question," said Kylie. The man looked at her and nodded. "Who are you to Treize? Why doing this when he's no longer here to pay for your effort?" she asked, knowing that there's a connection between him and Treize.

                He chuckled. "I know you would ask that question," he said. Then his face serious. "One reason was that your parents inspired me. Another reason was that Treize saved my life once. And it would be appropriate for me to help him uncover the past of his beloved little girl." He looked at her. "Treize really loved you, girl. To him, you were everything."

                "Thank you," said Kylie, then glanced at Heero. He gave her a nod, telling _her_ to decide what to do with the man since he was Treize's man. Instead of reaching for her gun tucked behind her, she shook her head and gestured at the dresser where a few bottles of pills were lying open. It was then Heero discovered that the pale man before him was actually dying.

                The two then exited the room without much of a good bye but just a quiet thank you. They walked away from the lounge when Kylie remembered something. "He never give us his name," she said, walking into the reception office. She called for the male receptionist. "Do you know the man who is living in Room 117?"

                The receptionist looked at her. "Sure, kid. He's old Will. He's been our customer for years," he answered. Kylie was startled to discover that the man was staying there when she had been Treize's Revenge. But what mystified her even more was the man's name.

                "His real name doesn't happen to be Will Stachbeck, does it?" she tried. The young man shrugged. "That's his name. Old Will never made his name a secret." Before he could ask why, Kylie was already turning towards Heero who heard everything.

                They then returned their gaze back to the room and saw a figure standing behind the window. He gave them a small wave before disappearing back into the room. Heero turned to his sister who was looking at him. "Let's go," he said, as she nodded.

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                When they got back, Heero and Kylie decided to stay a little longer in the hangar. They read everything that Will had about their parents and themselves, telling them that what they'd just heard was true. That the two of them were twins and their parents were Kakeru and Sheila Marumi. They also found pictures of them when they were little, marveling at the image how they once were innocent children. But what really caught their attention was the picture of their parents on their wedding day.

                Kylie smiled her first tender smile, looking at Heero who was sitting next to her. She then turned to look at the picture and trailed a finger on the image of her mother. "You have mom's smile, Heero," she said, softly. "Your smile is so gentle and so beautiful because it is pure."

                Heero stared at the image of his father and glanced at his twin sister. "And you have father's smile. It has a great sincerity in it because when you smile, it came from your heart." He then looked at the stack of papers. "Have you decided what to do with them yet?"

                "You're asking _me_?" she said, telling him that he had as much decision on it as she was. Heero looked at her, his eyes pained but hard. "The past is the past. It'll do us nothing to dwell on it," he said. Kylie nodded in agreement and picked up their mother's wedding ring.

                She handed it to him. "Keep it, Heero," she said, taking his hand into hers. "Give it to Relena when you're ready. The two of us will likely die in this war and it's up to her to carry a part of our parents with her."

                He nodded and kept the ring. Before long, the two of them had built a fire big enough to burn the papers. They watched as their forgotten past burned away before them. Then, lastly, the picture of their parents was the only thing that left. Kylie looked at it for the last time. "They look so happy together," said Heero, looking over her shoulder.

                Kylie nodded and tossed the picture into the fire, burning the only image of their parents. They knew that they didn't need it. They just needed to look at each other and the faces of the two who had once been their parents would resurfaced in their minds.

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                When the door slid open, Quatre was glad Kylie entered. "Where were you?" he asked. "I didn't see you for a whole day yesterday." She looked at him, seeing that he was doing much better. "What is it? Is something the matter?"

                Realizing that he was talking to her, Kylie shook herself awake. "No. Nothing. Why do you ask?"

                "I don't know," said Quatre. "You somehow seemed different."

                "Oh," she said and shook her head. "I'm just tired. Couldn't sleep well," she said, scolding herself for being so obvious. She and Heero had decided to keep their real identity to themselves, knowing that it won't do anyone good to know. The two agreed to buried the past in the past and look into the future. And at this moment, the future was the battle ahead.

                "I stopped by because the doctor wants to examine my wrist," she said, still standing by the door. He looked at her, concerned. "Well, what did he said? Did it got worse?" he asked. Kylie showed him the cast. "No. The swell is gone and they might remove it in five days."

                "And your burns?"

                She looked down. "Healed, mostly," she said. Then heard a scratching on the other side of the door. "Actually, someone else is here to see you," she said, opening the door. And Adin ran into the room and leapt on his bed, letting out a yelp.

                Quatre laughed as the puppy licked his face. "He still like you better than me," she said, sitting down. He laughed when Adin suddenly leapt on top of Kylie, almost pushing her to the floor. And two sets of laughter and a little bark seemed to echo along the hallway.

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                For five days now, Dorothy watched Quatre and Kylie who were in the infirmary. She had tried a lot of times to confess her feeling to Quatre, but each time she went to the infirmary, Kylie would be there. The girl had become somewhat a regular visitor in the infirmary since she too was still under observation. The only time Kylie hadn't been in the infirmary was when she disappeared with Heero but that day, Dorothy was involved with another mission. Sending Vice Foreign Minister Relena Darlian to Earth for an emergency conference.

                'I wish she would leave for a little while,' she thought. 'Then maybe I will have enough time to tell him how I feel.'

                But that never happen. Kylie continued to be by his side. Sometimes Dorothy even caught her sleeping on the chair in the room, waiting for him to wake up. Dorothy didn't know what happened when the two were taken prisoners but she knew something had changed between them. Her only wish was that she knew what it was.

                Watching the two of them for the last time, she sighed and walked away. She didn't even noticed Lady Une walking into the infirmary.

                Silence in the room was normal for both Quatre and Kylie. They needn't say much, just the presence of each other was enough for them. When Quatre had been weak, Kylie had be the one who stayed by his side, waiting for the moment when he woke up and watched him sleep so soundly. She took such a great care of him that her gentleness surprised the others. Even Trowa left Quatre in her care, knowing she would watch over him while he went to battle.

                Now as usual, they sat in silence, watching the beautiful view outside.

                When Quatre looked away, Kylie turned her head towards the door. "Lady Une," she said, standing up. The woman looked at both of them. "Sorry to have interrupted you two but I must speak to Kylie," she said. 

Frowning, Kylie looked at her. "You can say it here."

                Lady Une sighed. "I need you to prepare for a trip to Earth," she said.

                "To Earth?" Kylie and Quatre chorused. They exchanged glances.

                "Yes and it's very important." She saw that the cast was off Kylie's hand. "How's your wrist?"

                Kylie stared at her, not bothering to check. "It's fine," she lied, ignoring the sore in her wrist.

                "Good because I need you fit," said Lady Une, accepting her answer at face value. She turned to Quatre. "How are you, Quatre?"

                The blond pilot nodded. "I'm fine, thank you. The doctor said I could leave the infirmary today and return to battle in a few days."

                "That's good to hear," said Lady Une, turning to Kylie. "Do you mind coming with me?"

                Kylie shook her head. "Not if could help our side."

                "It could help. In fact, it's important and it is dire for you to come with me."

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                Mylin walked along the hallway. At long last, she returned to the mother ship after being summoned personally by the Warleader himself. She walked purposely and proudly towards the bridge to give her latest reports. When she got there, she found Warleader Varishk with his assistant and lover Sira and six other people in the bridge. Looking at their attire, it doesn't take Mylin a second to identify the Empire's Mican Warrior.

                Turning to face the Warleader, Mylin bowed. "Warleader, I have arrived," she said.

                "Mylin, it's been a long time, hasn't it?" said Varishk. "You and your team of spies had been useful in helping us to conquer this galaxy." She looked at him, meeting his eyes. "Then you must add this to my report, sir, that in my years living with the human being and now encountering the Gundam pilots, our conquest on this solar system might not be as easy as we thought," she said.

                Sira shifted her feet, angered. Nobody said the Warleader would fail and live to say another thing. Varishk quickly raised his hand, stopping her from doing harm to the obviously experienced spy. "Your point being?" he prompted.

                "I know that those whom I had sent back to you have given you the basic knowledge of these human. But I stayed on with the humans so I could fully understand them. And I purposely engaged the Gundam pilots personally because I want to see how far they could go."

                "And your discovery, Mylin?"

                Mylin looked at him. "They're not to be taken lightly, Warleader. Them and their friends. Something about these humans are unique. And we must prepare to accept the possibility that we might lose this war," she warned them.

                Varishk laughed. "If those words have come out from the mouth of your men I would've tell Sira to kill them but you are the only expert in this creatures we have so I guess I have to take heed of your warning." He glanced at the six. "These are the Mican Warrior as you can see. They are Con'trai, Keil'n, Trec'na, S'Irai and the two are the infamous twin Mican, K'Vai and K'Rin."

                Mylin nodded at them. If others paled at the mention of their names, Mylin didn't gave them the luxury. Instead, she looked at each and every one of them in the eye. Varishk smiled at her, obviously impressed by her courage. "They've been assigned by the Regent to destroy anyone who pose a threat to our mission. From now on, you'll be helping them gaining a better understanding on these Gundam pilots and their friends."

                "Quite true," said K'Rin, stepping forward. "I want to know more about someone who wasn't in your team's previous reports." Mylin frowned, knowing that she had covered as many grounds as she could in the reports. "Who do you mean, Warrior K'Rin?" she asked, curious.

                "The female who flew that blood red mobile suit."

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                Kylie glanced at Lady Une as she drove through the desert sand. The wind whipped her hair around as Kylie tried her best not to let them poked her eyes. Although it had been two days since they arrived on Earth, Lady Une still refused to tell her what were they looking for and where it was.

                Used to only asking a question once, Kylie kept her mouth shut, not saying anything.  Even when they started the long and quiet journey through the desert, they both traveled in silence. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Kylie saw a huge building in the middle of the desert. Lady Une drove towards it and stopped when they were there.

                "We're here," she declared as Kylie climbed out of the jeep. The building was indeed huge but it was also made completely out of metal. But as Kylie and Lady Une entered it, there was a blast of cool air. She glanced at the older woman. "Well?" she said.

                Lady Une looked at her. "Stay here while I find a switch."

                "What is this place?" she asked, looking around. But the building or rather, the hangar was dark and she saw nothing that could help her see. Somewhere inside, she heard Lady Une moved. "What this place is, it is not relevant. What it's storing is."

                "Well, aren't going to tell me?"

                "I'm going to do better than that," said Lady Une. "I'm going to show you."

                Then, Kylie was blinded by bright light. When her vision cleared, what she saw before her rendered her speechless.

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                When the alarm blared, Heero, Duo, Trowa, Wu Fei, Zechs and Quatre prepared for battle. As Quatre was climbing into the cockpit, he heard Trowa called him. He looked at him. "Are you sure you're well enough to fight?" he asked.

                Touched by Trowa's concern, he nodded. "Yes, I'm ready to fight them."

                "Alright," said Trowa, nodded.

                They launched, following Heero and the others. A few minutes later, Noin and her Preventer agents entered the battle zone. Sally was left at the headquarters to supervise everything in Lady Une's absence. The battle was furious. The Mican Warrior seemed to give them everything they got, barely giving some of the Gundams to defend themselves. And Noin's team was heavily attacked by the Mican Trooper and the alien fighters.

                Trowa yanked at his control stick, fighting Trec'na and at the same time looking out after Quatre. He knew that the Sandrock pilot was still healing from his injuries that he might not be able to fight at full strength. Not only that, Quatre had been missing from the action for too long that Trowa was worried he might not be able to handle Keil'n alone.

                Suddenly, he saw something else coming towards them. To his surprise, a team of Mican Trooper was approaching the battle. "Watch out, they have a support troop," he warned his friends, particularly Duo who had his back on them.

                He saw Duo turned. "What the hell… where did they come from?"

                "I don't know," Quatre responded, his voice sounded strained. "But it looks like they've developed some sort of strategy." He barely dodged a blow from Keil'n but it distracted him from seeing the newly arrived Mican Trooper, aiming at him. He cried as Sandrock shook and struggled to maintain control.

                Like Quatre, the others weren't spared either. Heavyarms was hit and collided with Nataku as they spun and hit a Taurus suit. Duo had regained control in time before he hit Wing Zero who was thrown into Epyon. Without any words, Epyon resumed its duel with K'Rin while Heero glanced at his friends.

                "You know what you must do," he said. "Time to decide." Then, he also resumed his battle with K'Vai, destroying any enemy fighters and suits that appeared in his way. Frowning, Quatre looked at the others. "What is he talking about? Decide to do what?" he asked, dodging Keil'n's blow. His main concern was to find out what they were planning.

                It was Duo who answered. "The Zero system has been installed in each of our suit, due to Trowa and Wu Fei's request. And Heero was telling us to use it if we want to stay alive."

                "What!" said Quatre, almost letting go of his throttle in disgust. He turned to Trowa. "Is that true? Has the Zero system been installed in our suits?" he asked, fighting the Mican Troopers now since he had managed to lose Keil'n for a moment. When Trowa didn't answer, his eyes widened. "You're not thinking of using it, are you?"

                Trowa looked at him. "I have no choice, Quatre."

                "No, Trowa. Please don't do it," he pleaded. He turned to Wu Fei. "Please don't do it. You will be destroyed by it."

                Wu Fei's face was unreadable as he glared at Con'trai. "I'm going to show them what Nataku and I are capable of," he said, punching a few buttons. In an instant, the cockpit seemed to came to life as the Zero system was activated. He glanced at them. "If you won't use everything you got, I suggest you stay away from the battle from now on," he said. Then he and Con'trai resumed their personal battle.

                Struck by Wu Fei's words, Quatre turned to Trowa and Duo. "You guys?"

                "Hey, don't look at me," said Duo, swung his scythe at S'Irai. "I'm not so desperate as to use something as dangerous as the system." He glared at S'Irai. "I can still fight him without the Zero system." With that he switched off the comm. to concentrate on S'Irai alone. He would leave Trowa to Quatre.

                Quatre looked at Trowa's face on the screen. "Please, Trowa. Don't," he said. Suddenly Sandrock shook as the Mican Troopers converged their attack on him. Trowa heard Quatre cried but he was too far away to help him. Knowing he only had one choice, Trowa tapped in the code that would activate the Zero system. "I'm sorry, Quatre," he said as he braced himself for the same experience three years ago. He barely heard Quatre's plea.

                Trowa fought Trec'na as he had never fought before. The Zero system had made his Gundam easier to control and it seemed as if he had been the one fighting the Mican suit with his bare hands. Like three years ago, he felt free as if nothing was tying him down. He felt as if he was soaring through space, destroying everything that he identified as an enemy. Destroying everything in his path.

                "Trowa!" Suddenly a scream shattered his perfect world. He then realized that the blade under Heavyarms arm was out and it was slicing towards Sandrock. Quickly, he yanked the throttle back, flying over Sandrock, barely missing it and turned away. His breathing was heavy as he realized what he had almost done. His fingers shook.

                "So, that's the effect the Zero system has on its pilot." Trec'na's voice cut through his reverie. "No matter. Unless you master it like your friends did, the Zero system would be useless to stop me and my kind."

                Trowa looked at him. "You know about the Zero system?"

                "We know everything about your Gundam, and you," said Trec'na.

                Looking at Trec'na hard, Trowa was determined. He had no other choice but to master the system. At any cost.

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                Quatre drew back a sharp breath as Heavyarms sailed passed him. He was so distracted by Keil'n and the Mican Troops that he failed to see Heavyarms heading straight for him. What triggered his senses was when Keil'n and the troopers drew back so suddenly. Then, from the corner of his eyes, he saw Heavyarms' blade readied to do its damage and he was too shocked to do a thing.

                But when Heavyarms moved away at the last instant, Quatre was still in shock. He then tried to contact Trowa to make sure he was alright but Keil'n and the troopers attacked him again. He was being overwhelmed quickly by the enemy because of his weaken state as well as his concern for his friends.

                "Look at your friends," said Keil'n as he hit Sandrock again and again. "They're fighting bravely against their enemy. And you, who called yourself protector of peace, couldn't even fight me with everything you got."

                Quatre struggled to regain control but failed. "Because the Zero system is a mistake. I have no use for it."

                "Which is exactly why you're so weak!" Keil'n shouted. "Maybe I should destroy you right now."

                He raised his lance, preparing to strike the final blow. With a war cry, he brought the lance down. Then suddenly, his lance skittered away as another bolt of fire hit Keil'n's Mican suit. Surprised that he was still alive, Quatre turned to where the attack came from. "You're not destroying him on my watch!"

                Coming from Earth, they saw a new mobile suit heading straight into the battle. It had a similar design as Epyon but if Epyon was in blood red this one was in bright gold. The other difference was that it lacked the armor on Epyon. And the way it move was also different from Epyon. It was faster and more agile than Epyon, suggesting that the mobile suit was built for speed and movement and less for defense purposes.

                Quatre checked the features of the new mobile suit and discovered one thing. "It's a new Gundam!"

                The others heard him and spared a glance at the new Gundam. It entered the battlefield and quickly destroyed its everything that was standing in its path. Then, it stood between Sandrock and Keil'n. "You okay, Quatre," the new Gundam seemed to ask. Recognizing the voice, he gasped. "Kylie? What are you doing here? With that?"

                Kylie appeared in the screen. "Someone's idea of a Christmas present, I think," she said, then her eyes grew cold as she regarded Keil'n. "If you're planning to deal with him, you're dealing with me too," she said. Her Gundam shifted its hold on the twin-headed beam lance.

                Keil'n smiled. "Very well, let's what you can do."

                Then Keil'n and Kylie were engaged in a combat. A few minutes later, Quatre joined in as the two Gundams showed the alien how well they worked together. They fought Keil'n and at the same time destroying every troopers and fighters that targeted them. With a new mobile suit, Kylie was able to fight even better and at the same time protecting Quatre from any harm.

                Then, it was finished. The aliens retreated back to their fleet. Despite the Zero system and the new Gundam, the aliens still managed to capture a few colonists from the colony. But the Gundam pilots determined to rescue all of them no matter what it took.

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                When Trowa finally reached the hangar, he leaned back and took a deep breath. Never in his life had he felt so drained and so tired. Except when he first used the Zero system. His body shook from fatigue and he nearly lost consciousness when he heard Quatre's voice, calling for him.

                Weakly, his hand pressed a button and the cockpit door swung open. "Trowa, are you alright?" Quatre asked, concerned. Trowa released the straps and climbed out of the cockpit. "I'm fine, Quatre. Just tired."

                "What were you thinking?" asked Quatre. "Please, don't use the Zero system again. Promise me."

                Trowa looked at him, touched by his concern. "Oh, Quatre. You know I can't do that. You know that we need it to fight the aliens." He paused. "If you won't use it, please allow me to master it so I can protect those I love."

                Quatre was struck by his words. "But it's dangerous."

                "No one says good things came easily," said Trowa. "Once I master the system then I can truly fight my enemy." Suddenly he looked away, looking at the new Gundam which was making its landing. "The new Gundam Kylie found is pretty amazing, don't you think?"

                He turned towards what Trowa was looking at and noticed everyone was staring at the beautiful Gundam too. A moment later, the cockpit opened and Kylie jumped out from it. She then turned to look at it. Heero, Duo and Wu Fei walked up to it, looking at the new Gundam.

                "Amazing," said Duo, whistling. "I wonder what it can really do."

                "His name is Nova," said Lady Une, coming from behind them. Howard was following behind her. "This was the reason why Kylie and I went to Earth," she added. Howard looked up. "He's beautiful, don't you think?" he asked, standing next to Duo.

                "Very."

                Heero then looked at Epyon. "But its design isn't much different than of Epyon."

                "Of course," said Lady Une. "The two was designed by the same person."

                That made Heero turned to her. "Treize?"

                She nodded. "Exactly. Nova was actually the brother of Epyon. When Treize planned to build a Gundam to give one of you to pilot, he began the construction of Epyon." She looked at Heero and Quatre who were joining them with Trowa, Zechs and Noin. "But when he heard both of you were on Earth hiding in the Sanc Kingdom, he began another construction. He hoped that he could finish Nova in time to give it to you."

                "But why?" asked Quatre.

                "Because he wanted to see which Gundam pilot would win," she answered.

                That surprised Noin. "He was planning to have Heero fight Quatre?"

                "Yes. And under the influence of the Zero system, he knew that the two will fight each other."

                Trowa looked at her. "So Treize actually wanted to see what made a Gundam pilot better than the rest?" She nodded. "Exactly. Treize knew that if he were to compare you pilots with the other soldiers, he wouldn't find his answers."

                "So what happened?" asked Wu Fei.

                "It was never finished, until now," she answered. "Everything was happening so fast that he stopped Nova's construction and store it away so no one could find it. He knew Nova could be a dangerous tool if it fall into the wrong hand."

                "Namely the Romefeller, right?" said Zechs. "He knew that Epyon was already safe with Heero but Nova's fate was uncertain." He looked at her. "And the name came from Operation Nova, right?"

                She nodded. "It's when the blueprint was finished."

                "So, what can it do?" asked Duo, repeating his question.

                Lady Une nodded at Kylie, who was standing before them. "Like your Gundams, it depends on the pilot to fully utilize it."

                "Is the Zero system installed in the cockpit?" asked Heero. Since Epyon had a built-in Zero system, he hoped Nova had one too. Lady Une nodded. "Yes, but it's inactive. The pilot will need a secret password to activate the system." Quatre released the breath that he was holding. "Good, at least she won't be in any danger from the system." He looked at Wu Fei and Trowa. "Which is the very thing I want to talk to you two about. You can't continue to use the Zero system."

                "The Zero system?" Kylie echoed, walking up to them. "I've heard about it before. It's the most powerful cockpit system, right?" she said, looking at Heero. When he nodded, she was thoughtful. "Maybe I should use it on Nova. It'll help me fully explore its potential."

                "No!" said Quatre. "You can't use the system. It's too dangerous."

                Heero looked at him. "The system is only dangerous if you let it control your actions. In order to use the Zero system you must first be able to control _it_." He paused, staring into his eyes. "The Zero system is a tool, Quatre. You should learn _to_ control it not being control _by_ it."

                He then looked at Trowa, Wu Fei, Duo and the others. "And Quatre, you are the only one other than me who could truly master the system effectively. Believe me when I'm telling you this. Your heart and mind are stronger than you think. All you have to do is to have faith in yourself."

                With that, he left. The others watched him disappeared into the hallway. "Heero's right, Quatre," said a voice. They turned to see Kylie looking at him, carefully. "I know you have the ability to master the Zero system as well as Heero. But first you must develop enough confidence to use it." She paused as her eyes softened. "I can protect you as long as you need me to. But I can't always be there for you. If you don't help yourself, we'll both could end up getting ourselves killed."

                "And you know as well as I do that Heero was never one who exaggerate. If he thinks you could do wonders with the Zero system, then I believe him." She walked away and then stopped, looking over her shoulder. "Just think about it," she said, but her words were also directed towards Duo.

                Quatre watched her leave. But even her words and Heero's couldn't get rid of the fear in his mind.

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                When Mylin were finally left alone, she returned to her quarters and opened a secret channel to her homeworld. The secret channel was only used by a number of people and only a handful of special people knew about it. Special people like her.

                It took a moment for her to get through. But when she was there, a face appeared before her. He was as handsome as he was regal-looking. His hair was sun golden and his eyes were a beautiful shade of dark green. Although he had a proud look, his eyes showed a great intelligence as well as comfort.

                She knelt before him, showing her eternal respect for him. "Emperor Gylendar, your humble servant is here."

                "Mylin, it's been a long time. How are you?" he asked, gently.

                Mylin looked at him, showing all her love and loyalty for him. "I am well, Your Majesty."

                "Good," said Gylendar. Then his face hardened as he got on with the serious business. "Tell us, Mylin. What news do you bring from the new galaxy?" Mylin then found herself reporting everything that happened, particularly on the Warleader and his men.

                In reality, Mylin was actually an Emperor's Eye, a selected handful of Telrhani who worked directly under the Emperor to do his biddings. Their loyalty and life lies in serving the Emperor and him alone. Because their job was to protect the Emperor's best interest, only very few people were selected to serve him. Those whom the Emperor trust the most. They went through trainings as tough as the one of the Mican Warrior and even more of them failed to get through. However, Mylin was one of the lucky ones. And she had been serving him since she was a little girl.

                "We see," said Emperor Gylendar when she was finished. For a moment, he was thoughtful. Then he sighed. "We think it's still too early to decide anything, so we are going to tell you to keep watching. We must make sure that Variskh is indeed working with the Regent to take over our throne."

                Mylin nodded, remembering the grave issue at hand. For years now, they had been receiving reports that the Regent was planning to commit treason. The Regent was actually quite powerful and very influential as he was the Emperor's father younger brother. Ever since Gylendar had come to throne at an early age, the Regent had been planning a revolt against the inexperience Emperor by coaxing with some of the royal family members and the member of the court.

                And since the Regent had the power to control the Imperial Army, Gylendar knew his position could be easily threatened by him. Warleader Varishk was the Regent's nephew as well as one of the most powerful military leader in the Empire. Gylendar suspected that the Regent purposely sent Varishk out to invade the new galaxy so he could hid some of his secret army to attack the Imperial Palace. And he knew that the Regent had other galaxies at his disposal.

                Still lacked in prove and to avoid a civil war, Gylendar sent his spies to spy on the Regent's closest people. Only when he had enough evidence to prove the Regent was planning to betray the Empire would he have him arrested and convicted. And by the look of things, Mylin could be the one who would be able to save the throne.

                "Your Majesty, forgive me my manners but I am troubled by the Warleader," said Mylin.

                Gylendar stared at her. "What is it, Mylin? What troubled you so much?"

                "The Warleader has the potential of doing something unexpected."

                "Unexpected?"

                Mylin chose her words carefully. It wasn't a good idea to accuse the cousin of the Emperor of this. "I'm afraid he would do something dishonorable in the future. The conquest of this galaxy is important for the Regent's plan to work." She paused. "And now that he found an interest in the Gundam pilots, he might use them against you, Your Majesty."

                "Don't concern yourself too much of that," said Gylendar. "We know our cousin." He paused. "And Mylin, find out more about these Gundam pilots. We want to hear everything about them."

                "Your will is my life, Your Majesty," she said. But when the Emperor's face was gone from the screen, Mylin suddenly longed for his presence again. Then again, who was she? She's only a servant to him. But Mylin loved him so much that she would give her life for him.

                Suddenly she felt ashamed. Mylin had accepted this assignment not solely because of him. There was also another reason, which had a name. Mylin took the assignment because she was looking for the killer of her little sister. And she believed that the killer was Sira, the Warleader's personal officer. But still, Mylin had to wait for the right moment to strike, fearing her quest for revenge might interfere with her job to protect Emperor Gylendar.

                She then looked out into the stars. Her thoughts were on the Gundam pilots, particularly the one she met personally, Chang Wu Fei. To her, there was something about him that would one day fill her life. And she knew the time will come when she will have to duel him again.

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	7. Chapter 7: Broken

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!☺

**TIMELINE:** The story mostly takes place after Endless Waltz. To be more precise, one year after Endless Waltz. That means two years after my very own Treize's Revenge series.

**NOTE:** There's a reference to the Gundam Wing the tv episodes at the end of this story. Just thought of acknowledging it☺

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST VII: BROKEN. 

By Arayelle Lynn.

                A child of long golden hair ran across the meadow, laughing. She was a beautiful child. Her eyes were deep forest green, her lips red and skin as fair as the sun. Though very young, her childlike beauty was undeniable, promising even a greater beauty of a young lady in the future only very few can compare. And in reality, not even the most beautiful Empress of the Telrhani could surpass the serene beauty of the little girl.

                The child ran towards her sister, her hands showing the great singing flowers of the meadow's lake. It was a rare flower on the planet and only those with keen eyesight could spot it. Her sister, only five years older, laughed in delight. The love for her little sister was clearly showed in her eyes. Her little sister was all she had, ever since leaving their parents to die in a slave camp years ago. And she intended to raise her little sister with her two, still small, hands.

                Suddenly the skies darkened as the wind blew hard, nearly swept her off her feet. She looked at her little sister, who had stopped and was looking around her surrounding. Then the meadow they were standing on was gone, replaced by a barren land in the middle of nowhere. There was a crack of thunder and the little girl covered her ears with her hands.

                The older girl ran towards her sister, knowing she had to protect her from this unknown enemy. From afar, she heard her little sister started to cry as she sprinted. Suddenly, the ground started to crack and a shadow appeared and taken a form behind her little sister. It was a woman, a very beautiful woman and she was holding her sister by her hair. She ran faster, hoping she could rescue her sister, when the woman took out a gleaming blade. To her horror, the woman decapitated her little sister and hold her beautiful head up for her to see. The woman laughed as the girl was frozen in horror. Then a scream escaped her lips…

                "Tsylar!" Mylin rose from her bed. Her heart pounded faster than usual and her body was drenched with sweat. Her chest heaved for air as if she had been underwater for hours and her hands were outstretched, as if she had been trying to reach something that wasn't there.

                For a moment, she sat there, gasping for air. She tried to shake the feelings that always came with the nightmare as well as the image of her little sister. She looked around the room, searching for something, or someone. But when she finally realized that that someone was gone, her body shook. Unable to control the feelings inside, she hugged her legs, burying her head between them and started to cry.

                "Commander," a voice chimed over the intercom. "Warleader Varishk wishes your presence on the bridge."

                When Mylin looked up, her tear-stricken face was gone, replaced with the serious mask she always portrayed on everyone around her. Her voice was steady, as if she had never had the nightmare earlier. "Tell him I'm on my way." She jumped from the bed and started to dress quickly but calmly. When she was finished, she walked towards the door and stopped.

                She looked back at her bed, thinking of the nightmare that had been real a few years ago. She knew she would have the same nightmare again and again until the day she die. But despite the horror of it, she found herself yearned for it because it was the only time when she would be able to see her little sister and be happy again.

                Remembering her mission, she walked out of the door.

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                Warleader Varishk waited, patiently. Beside him, Sira stood, watching everything around her carefully. Then, the door slid open and a raven haired beauty appeared before him. "Warleader, I am here," said Mylin, bowing in respect. He studied her for a moment, liking what he saw. The young spy was beautiful, almost rivaled to Sira's own but there was something even harder inside her.

                Then, he was aware of the forest green eyes glaring at him, warning him against continuing his trail of thoughts. "Mylin, though you have just returned, I'm afraid I have another task for you," he said, smiling. Mylin kept her silence, awaiting his command. "I want you to go to Earth and wait for your further orders there. I have a special mission for you and your team in near future. But in the meantime, I want you to study Earth's defense. Find its weakness" He paused. "The time of the final battle is drawing near and I want to make it a glorious victory."

                Mylin saluted him. "Your will, Warleader," she said, well aware of a pair of dark brown eyes watching her carefully. As she walked out of the bridge, she threw a glance at Sira, silently promising to make her pay for her endless nightmares.

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                As Heero was entering the lounge, he heard voices of people arguing. Seeing Relena was in the room, he started to steer himself away but they'd already saw him. "Heero," said Relena, looking at him. Trying to stifle the emotions that she always stirred inside him, he looked at her.

                "You're back early."

                "Well, the meeting with the representatives had been pretty short. They still don't know what to do." She turned to Lady Une, the person she had been argued with. "But a few of them agreed with our suggestion to contact the Telrhani and make peace with them."

                It was then Heero noticed Vincent Dupree was in the room. The young man seemed to watch him carefully when suddenly his eyes widened at the sight of something behind Heero. "Quatre Winner?" he gasped, as someone behind Heero froze. He spared a glance at Quatre who was as surprised as Vincent was. "What are you doing in the Preventer's headquarter?"

                Quatre looked around, uncomfortable. He wished that he could just disappear right there and then but with Duo, Trowa, Wu Fei and Kylie blocking his only exit, his only choice was to duck behind Heero. But even that proved too late. Vincent Dupree had already identified him. "Uh…" he started, thinking furiously for an excuse but couldn't find any. He looked at Relena, hopelessly.

                "Quatre's a Gundam pilot, Vincent," said Relena, knowing there was no point in hiding the fact. She and Vincent would be working together with the Preventers from now onwards and sooner or later, he would figure out who the Gundam pilots were. A glance at Heero showed her that she had his approval. "All five of them are."

                Vincent looked at the faces of the people he had wanted to meet the most. All of them were very young, barely eighteen. He had heard reports that the Gundam pilots were just kids but at the time he had thought they were nineteen or so but… 'Gosh, they were only 15 when they went into the battlefield!' he thought, finally solving the math.

                And Quatre. Gentle, mild-mannered, vulnerable Quatre was actually one of them! Shaking his shock off, Vincent walked towards the five of them and extended his hand. "I'd like to thank all of you for what you did and what you're doing now," he said. "The human race would be in a lot of trouble if it wasn't for you guys."

                Heero and the others were taken aback. No one had ever come up to them and thanked them. This was a new experience for them. Heero then shook his hand. "You would've done the same if you were in our shoes."

                "I would but I wouldn't have the strength like you people to fight losing battles," said Vincent. "Even now." He then shook hands with Duo, Quatre, Trowa and Wu Fei. He stopped when he saw Kylie. "We've met, right?" he said, uncertainly because of her different appearance.

                "She's Heather Leong, remember?" said Relena, knowing Kylie's short hair had made her looked slightly different. Kylie threw Relena a warning glance and turned to Vincent who asked, "Who are you, really? I know you can't really be Winteridge's assistant if you're here."

                "Who am I is not important," she answered. "Just think that I'm fighting this war with the Gundam pilots." She then looked at Heero and the rest of the pilots. "I'll be in my room," she said as she was leaving.

                Vincent stopped her. "Don't worry. If we're lucky, there won't even be a war."

                Kylie's left eyebrow rose at his statement. She then looked at Relena and Lady Une and then at the five Gundam pilots before returning her gaze on Vincent Dupree. She shrugged. "Whatever you say, pacifist," she said but her doubts were clearly voiced. Before Vincent could reassured her, she was gone.

                Duo turned to Relena. "What does he mean that there won't be a war? Are you telling me we're surrendering?"

                "Not at all," said Relena. "The representatives agreed that Vincent and I should find peaceful solutions with the aliens."

                "How?" asked Quatre. "They're here not only to invade but to gain cheap manpower, remember? They want slaves." He took a step forward. "What could we possibly offer to them if all they want is to enslave us."

                Vincent shook his head. "That's where you're wrong," he said. "We could offer them other alternatives besides slavery. Maybe we could establish close relation with them so we could send workers instead of slaves to work with them. I'm sure they're a reasonable race."

                "The issue is, we know almost nothing about them," said Lady Une. "We don't know their culture and their beliefs, we don't even know how they got here and where they're from. For all we know, slavery could be part of their ancient culture like the old civilizations of mankind."

                "But slavery did stop at some point in the ancient civilizations, right?" said Relena. "Maybe we could teach them that."

                Trowa shook his head. "It won't work," he said suddenly, making the others turned to him. "Who are we to teach them anything?" He looked at Relena and Vincent. "You might rate humanity higher but these Telrhani only saw us as creatures of the lowest hierarchy. It would be like teaching god to create a perfect world."

                With that he exited the room. Relena looked at the rest of the pilots and Lady Une. "Never mind. The point is, the president himself has asked Vincent and I to try and talk to the Telrhani so we could avoid more bloodshed."

                "This is war, woman," said Wu Fei, a little too harshly. "Bloodshed _is_ part of it." He looked at Heero. "But then again, why am I here wasting my time arguing with these pacifists? _I'm_ the one fingering the trigger in the battle not them." Then he too, left the room heading towards his quarters.

                "Wu Fei is right," said Heero finally. "And so is Trowa." Relena looked at him, expecting him to challenge her as usual. "In order to achieve peace with the aliens we must first survive this ordeal. But in order to survive, we must fight even if it means destroying the alien's fleet. And maybe then pacifists like you can step in and create whatever ideals you have in your mind. Provided, _if_ you survive this."

                Heero left, followed by Quatre and Duo, leaving Relena surprised by his words. It wasn't the words that surprised her because she half-expected it but it was actually the way he said it. How cold and hard it sounded to her ears. Heero had more than often showed her a cold attitude but just then, she noticed that he actually gave her a cold shoulder. Suddenly, one glance at Vincent told her why.

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                Duo waited patiently as the operator put him through. After the ordeal with Heero and Relena and Vincent, he suddenly realized that he had yet to call someone. And a few seconds later that someone appeared. "Duo!" that someone exclaimed.

                "Hey, Hilde," he greeted. "How's it going?"

                Hilde beamed. "I'm fine. In fact…"

                "What about that deal with Harrison?" Duo interrupted. "Did you handle it as I told you to?"

                She frowned. "Of course. I told you I can handle it, remember?" She opened her mouth to say something but he cut her off. "And the business? The shipment that was due yesterday?"

                "It's fine, Duo," she said, losing her patience. "Listen, Duo. I can handle things here, okay. When are you coming back? I really…"

                Duo shook his head. "I don't know, Hilde. Maybe a while since the aliens are much stronger than us." He smiled excitedly. "Hey, did you hear the news? Me and Deathscythe are partners again."

                "Yeah, I heard. You guys were on the news every time." She looked less than thrilled as she smiled. "I guess you're pretty excited, huh?" Duo nodded. "Of course I'm excited. It's been a long time since me and my buddy soar through space together." He looked at her, dreamily. "When I'm with Deathscythe, I feel everything is possible. It's like being reborn once again." He looked at her. "You know what I mean?"

                "No, I never had a Gundam before," said Hilde, coldly.

                Duo continued, failing to hear the resentment in her voice. "But they all have to ruin it by telling me I need to use the Zero system to stay alive. Can you believe that? I've survived before without the Zero system so why should I need it now? Deathscythe and I could take care of each other well enough not to need that deadly system."

                "Duo," said Hilde, her voice was even. "I want to break up with you." He blinked and looked at her, surprised by the words.

                "Huh? What did you said?"

                "Something I should've said a long time before," said Hilde. "I'm leaving you, for good."

                Duo was shocked. "But… but why?"

                "It's seems like you and _Deathscythe_ made a better couple," she said. Suddenly she decided to tell everything that was playing in her mind and heart. "I'm tired of you, Duo Maxwell. I'm tired of your business, I'm tired of your need to flirt with every girls in the colony. And most of all, I'm tired of listening about Deathscythe!"

                "Wha…"

                Hilde interrupted him. "It's always been about you and Deathscythe. Always. But three years ago, I can take it. I can sit around and listen to you talking about your adventures with that piece of machinery. But it gets old, Duo. And I can no longer stand it!"

"I'm your girlfriend, Duo Maxwell. But you never thought about talking about _us_. About our future. All you thought about is that sorry-piece-of-Gundanium-alloy. If Deathscythe is more important to you than me, why don't you go and marry it?"

                Duo took a step back, surprised by the hurt and resentment in her voice. Part of him wanted to reach out, to hold her and tell her that he was sorry for hurting her. But part of him angered that she dared to insult the only friend and protector he ever had. And that part won.

                "Fine! If you want to go, just go. Do you see me stopping you?" he said, his voice cold. He was tired, stressed and Hilde's outburst was not helping. They made his head hurt. "Deathscythe and I have been doing great together before we found you. Heck, we were doing fantastic before the other guys joined us." He looked at Hilde who was staring at him in shock. "We don't need them. We don't need the Zero system. We don't need you. We do better without any of you!"

                As soon as the words left his mouth, he suddenly wished he could take it all back. Hilde was looking at him, her face paled and eyes filled with pain. Then, her eyes started to fill with tears as she looked down and smiled at him, weakly. "Now I know exactly how _you _feel. I won't bother you anymore, Duo Maxwell. Farewell."

                The transmission was broken. Duo stared at the screen of static as he tried to comprehend what just happen. His head was still pounding as his heart. But in his confusion, he finally realized what just happened. Hilde was leaving him!

                "No, Hilde," he said, reaching out to the screen, feeling lost. "What have I done?"

                "That's good," said a voice behind him. He turned to see Trowa, leaning against the entrance. "Throwing your frustration at the only person who loves you. Why stop here? Why not go take Deathscythe and erase her existence from the world, Duo?"

                Duo watched him leave. Suddenly, his fatigue, frustration and pain started to weigh on him and he fell onto his knees. Shivering, he gathered his legs in his arms and rocked himself back and forth. Everything started to dawn on him. Every word Hilde and Trowa said. He had just pushed the person who love him away. Just like…

                'Oh, my god! I did what Heero's doing to Relena!'

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                His breathing slowed as he tried to picture his opponent. Then, he lashed out with precision few can match and spun around, pretending that there was an enemy behind him. Wu Fei kept his eyes closed, forcing himself to fight in the darkness so his mind could picture the enemy he recently longed to defeat.

                But every time he pictured her, his heart started to race as the memory of his late wife came into his mind. Her beauty, her passion, her spirits, all the qualities that made Wu Fei loved her so even if it was a fixed marriage. When she was killed, Wu Fei had vowed to himself that he would never let another woman made him feel like that. Made him feel so weak and helpless. And he kept that vow until now. Until someone else opened the door without meaning to.

                From there, he thought about Kylie. He knew she could never be his. Not because of Quatre, yes, he knew about Kylie and Quatre although the two had been very discreet about it. But because he and Kylie were too similar. Both were souls tainted with the darkness. Both were responsible for killing so many innocent lives. Both were so much like Heero Yuy.

                That's why they need someone from the opposite world to care for them. Someone who radiate lights to balance the darkness inside them. Quatre was that light for Kylie and Relena was for Heero. Both of them found their lights to brighten their lives. But Wu Fei doubted he would find the light again. His light was shattered when Lon Meirang was killed that fateful day. And since then, he would have to live his life in total blindness.

                Suddenly a shift in the air snapped his eyes open. There, standing before him was Zechs Merquis. "Sparring alone isn't a good thing, Chang Wu Fei," said the Epyon pilot. Wu Fei smiled at him, mockingly. "I suppose you're volunteering to be my sparring partner?"

                As an answer, Zechs raised his rapier. "I'm not as good as Treize in swordplay. But I can assure you I can be a quite formidable opponent." He slashed his weapon for an effect. "What do you say, Wu Fei?"

                "Sure," said Wu Fei as both men saluted. Wu Fei advanced as Zechs blocked. Then Zechs thrust as Wu Fei took on a defensive stance. And they stayed in that pattern for some time. "So tell me, what's with you and that lady of yours?" asked Wu Fei, attempting to get to know the Lightning Count better.

                "What do you mean?" asked Zechs as he parried.

                "You know what I mean. Do you love her or is she a touch-and-go like your loyalty to Treize?"

                Zechs' jaw was set. His loyalty to Treize was a sensitive subject as his relation with Noin. "Why do you want to know?"

                "I just want to decide if you're as weak as your lady," said Wu Fei, knowing he'd pushed the right button.

                Zechs immediately stopped. "It's none of your business but if you must know, Noin was everything to me. You can think me as weak but Noin whom you thought is weak was the only one who could give me my strength. She was the one who made me stronger." He paused as his voice grew cold. "And I don't think I need to explain to you about my loyalty to Treize."

                Suddenly Zechs smiled. "But I know you're trying to test my reaction, Chang Wu Fei. And I know that you know my issue with Treize is the most sensitive. So, I will only tell you this. I love Treize Khushrenada as a great leader, a brother and a friend. He made me who I am today."

                "What happened to you and Treize is none of my concern," said Wu Fei, shaking his head. "But I was curious as to why you and Noin are keeping things from Relena?"

                Zechs looked at him, surprised. Then, Wu Fei picked up a gold chain from the floor with his own rapier and showed it to Zechs. The older man looked at the dangling gold ringlet and felt his chest, reflexively. "Why didn't you tell the others that you and Noin are married?"

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                Trowa lay on the bed. After hearing the argument between Duo and Hilde, he suddenly felt very drained. He secretly thought that Duo was the luckiest among them. He had someone whom he could share things with. Heero could be as lucky as Duo but he had personal issues that prevented him from accepting Relena's love. Wu Fei, on the other hand, has lost his desire for love a long time ago making him as unlucky as Trowa was.

                And Quatre, he would be joining Duo soon, once he noticed Dorothy's love for him. But as Trowa recalled Quatre's behavior lately, how happy he was, it made Trowa wonder whether Dorothy was the cause of it. Wonder if she had confessed her love for Quatre and that somehow they became a couple? …Or was it because of another person?

                All his musings shattered when the door slid opened. Trowa jumped out of the bed when he saw who it was. "Cathy!" he said, walking towards her. "What are you doing here?" he asked, as Catherine gave him a hug.

                "I miss my little brother so I came to see you. Sally Po was kind enough to let me in. I guess visitors are not really a normal thing in the Preventer headquarter," she explained as he led her to a chair.

                "I miss you too, Cathy but you shouldn't have come. It's too dangerous. The aliens could be attacking at any time. And this base is the most dangerous place for you."

                Catherine looked at him. "I know, Trowa. But I'm worried about you fighting with these aliens. I know I'm okay with you being a Gundam pilot and have to save mankind and all but it still scares me whenever I heard you go into battle."

                At that Trowa hugged her, tightly. Surprised, Catherine could only returned his hug. "I'm sorry, Cathy. I should've called you. I'm sorry I didn't consider your feelings. You must've been worried sick," he said but she was more concerned by the weariness in his voice.

                Gently, she pushed him away and stared at his face. It was then she noticed the weariness on his face as well. And pain? "Trowa, what is it?" she asked. The last time Trowa looked like this was when he lost his memory. But now, Catherine could clearly see the pain in his eyes. "Trowa?"

                He looked away. "Nothing, sis," he said. When he looked back at her, he was smiling. "I guess I'm just tired." He sighed. "So many things had happened. I'm just glad that I got Quatre back and that you're still safe and sound."

                Catherine held him. She knew only Quatre could effect Trowa emotionally. She didn't know why, but there's this brotherly bond between them that no one could break. Her only wish was that she could get to know the other boy well enough so she could share Trowa's responsibility in taking care of him. Maybe then she would understand why Trowa pained when Quatre was hurt.

                But suddenly another thought came to her mind. The pain that was showing in Trowa's eyes had been slightly different than usual. And Catherine knew Trowa well enough now to know that something else was causing him pain. Something that was closely related to Quatre but different.

                Then she realized it. 'Could it be that Trowa's…'

                "Cathy, could you do me a favor?" asked Trowa, breaking her thoughts.

                She looked at him. "What is it?"

                "When you leave this base, please go to L2 and look for Hilde Schbeiker. She lived in Duo's house, you know the one, right?"

                She nodded. "I think I remember her. Why?"

                "Take care of her for me, please? She's hurting now so please take care of her. It's not safe for her to move out from Duo's just yet."

                "Alright. I'll stay with her as long as you need me to."

                Trowa smiled. "Thanks, sis. I'll contact you as soon as I can."

                As Catherine watched him closely, she realized that she had been right. 'Trowa is in love. But with whom?'

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                The silence of the galley seemed to suit Quatre well. Though tired from the previous battle, he found himself too troubled to sleep. His mind wondered what made Trowa and Wu Fei thought that the Zero system was the only thing that could save all of them. He also wondered if he had done the right thing by denouncing his need for the system.

                Secretly, he knew the others were right. The Zero system had definitely gave them an advantage over the enemy and that if all five Gundam pilots, excluding Zechs and Kylie, used it they could all be equally strong as the Mican Warriors. But Quatre very much doubt he could master the system once again. It had taken him everything in his willpower to master the system when Heero installed it in his suit years ago. And it drained him dry after the battle and made all the painful memories appeared again. It took him a long time to get over the effects of the system and a lot of emotional agony. Can he went through that again?

                Is the suffering soul inside him more important than the suffering of the human race?

                "Quatre?" said a voice, making him jump. Noin came over and sit on a chair beside him. "Sorry to have startled you but why are you still up? It's too late and too early to be up and about," she said, gently.

                For a moment Quatre didn't answer but smiled, anyway. After a moment, he sighed. "I wish I was someone else," he said, surprising Noin. "I wish I was like Heero or at least as tough as Trowa and Wu Fei. Maybe then I won't be the weakling that need to be protected all the time." He paused. "Maybe then, I would have the strength to use the Zero system."

                "Don't say that!" said Noin, rising from her chair and nearly knocking it over. "Don't you know that the others wished that they were like you?" she said, much to his surprise. "You are the only one who is able to feel something and show something that they can't. You have so many kindness and love in you that swayed many hearts. You showed them that it's okay to follow their hearts and to give people a chance to enter them. You taught them many things about their humanity. In fact you returned their humanity to them, Quatre."

                He looked at her, surprised. "But I thought my emotions are the things that make me so weak. I thought they are what is not needed in this war."

                Noin gently put a hand on his shoulder. "Emotions _are_ needed in war. And it is needed in your team, Quatre. You may not realise this but you are actually the one who is keeping the team together, you know. If it wasn't for you, the other Gundam pilots wouldn't be fighting in a team. You showed them that you five can work together. And now you're teaching them that you five could work even better with Zechs and Kylie in your team."

                "Think about that when you doubt your importance in the team." She looked at him, proudly. "You're a lot stronger than you think, Quatre Raberba Winner. And would be more if you stop doubting yourself."

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                Lady Une found Kylie in the hangar, working on Nova. Other than the girl, there's no one else in the huge room including the engineers and mechanics. "Kylie, what are you doing up so early?" she asked, walking over towards her.

                Instead of answering her question, Kylie chose to change the subject. "Why is the Zero system deactivated? And why is the self-detonation device is not installed?" she asked, freezing Lady Une in the middle of her steps. She looked up only to see a pair of cold blue eyes staring down at her.

                She sighed. "I requested its removal," she answered.

                "Well, install it then. And I want the activation code to the Zero system," said Kylie, closing the panel. She exited the cockpit and jumped down as the zero gravity cushioned her fall.

                "Kylie, is there anything I could say to stop you from using the system?" asked Lady Une, pleadingly.

                Kylie looked at her. "No. I don't want to be a liability to the Gundam pilots." Her eyes narrowed. "If you don't want to do it by the time I got back, then I'll do it myself." She then grabbed her coat and started towards the exit.

                "Where are you going?"

                "Breakfast, if you must know. I promised someone I would meet them."

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                Relena made her way along the hallway quietly. She hadn't been able to sleep all night and when the clock struck 6 a.m. she decided to begin her day early. But when she stepped into the lounge, she froze and backed a step. There was a figure sleeping on the couch, a puppy was also sleeping at his feet. Realizing who he was, Relena started to leave, as not to awaken the peaceful slumber of the boy. But it was already too late. Heero Yuy had already opened his eyes and was looking at her, alert.

                "Good morning," she said, smiling as Heero put aside a magazine that he had been reading before he had fallen asleep. He rubbed his eyes as Relena mused how innocent and child-like he looked right then. But his response reminded her that this boy though young seemed to age triple his years.

                "Hm…" was his response. Heero watched as Relena sat across him. Adin, who was awakened by the sound of Relena's footsteps, stretched and leapt onto her lap. He licked her as she smiled. Aside Trowa and Quatre, Relena was Adin's favorite people. He immediately took a liking towards Relena just as he had towards Quatre and Trowa.

                For a moment they sat like that. Relena playing with the puppy and Heero watching both of them. At that peaceful moment, all things including the war was behind them. It was as if the world existed only for the three of them and their presence for each other was enough.

                But Relena next words shattered that world. "I didn't get to thank you for saving my life a few months ago," she said, referring to the time when she and Quatre were being targeted.

                "Don't thank me," said Heero. "It wasn't you who was really in danger, it was Quatre. But if you want to thank anyone, thank Kylie. She was the one who decided to include me in her plan." He paused. "Besides, the case is far from over. We still haven't destroy the person who was trying to kill Quatre."

                "But we do know who the assassin is, right?"

                Heero nodded. "Yes but Kylie and I decided that Wu Fei should be the one who handle her. He felt he need to do this." Suddenly he frowned as his eyes turned cold. "But we're more concern about who hired the assassins. Since the remaining assassin has nothing to do with the other assassins, we are no closer to finding who wants Quatre dead."

                "Could it be one of his corporate rivals? I mean, Quatre will be one of the richest man once he reached 21. That's when he shall have full control over the Winner family's business."

                "It could be anyone, Relena. Even his father's old friends," said Heero. "But I'm very sure that one day, the truth will reveal itself. And when it does, I will be there to handle it _personally_." Then he looked at her, his eyes softened. "Anyway, if there's anyone who should be thanking someone, it should be me."

                Relena was surprised at that.

                He continued. "What you did back then and now is commendable. I should thank you for sticking by our side when McGarth and his cronies were trying to convict us soldiers." He paused. "That was a bold thing to do for a believer of pacifism like you."

                "I know that by defending you, I would be exposing myself to scrutiny on my ideal of pacifism. But I believe that humanity would benefit more if they could utilize the rogue soldiers to help rebuild what was lost in the war _and_ build a new future together." She looked away. "But now that the aliens are attacking, most of the inactive soldiers have all taken up their weapons again to fight them. How can we achieve peace when all we want to do was to reach for our weapons at the first sign of trouble?"

                Heero shook his head. "Don't judge them so harshly, Relena. They're actually learning their lesson." Relena looked at him, surprised. "Remember what you learned during the Operation Meteor conflict? That peace cannot be handed over and that they must fight for it. That's what they're doing now, Relena. To fight for that peace and the survival of the human race."

                "But what if all of them were killed? Who else is left to build a peaceful world?" asked Relena.

                "The children," he answered. "They would learn from the sacrifices made by those who have died and would learn to appreciate what they have. That's why Treize staged that war three years ago. His motive was to teach mankind to appreciate the peace."

                "And that's what I'm fighting for," he continued, rising from the couch. "What the seven of us including Zechs and Kylie are sacrificing our lives for. We are fighting for mankind as well as the _future generation_ of mankind. Your own children, Relena. That's why we can't stop fighting now."

                "Heero," Relena whispered.

                He walked towards the door where he stopped. "Go to Vincent, Relena. He's the perfect man for you." Then he was gone, leaving her to wonder what his last comment meant.

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                Kylie waited patiently for her contact to arrive. She had been early, of course, but she didn't mind spending a few hours sitting by herself. She needed the time to think. Then, as she was finishing her third cup of coffee, she arrived. With someone else, much to her surprise.

                "Kyle!" a voice called out as Kylie rose from her seat.

                "Amy," she answered and then nodded at the gaping guy beside her old friend. "Jack, didn't expect to see you again," she said, noticing that he and Amy were holding hands.

                Jack shook his shock away. "Sorry," he apologized. "Amy told us who you really are but it's going to take us a while to accept who you _really _are." He then had enough sense to blush. "Especially how beautiful you look as a female."

                Amy slapped his arm, playfully as Kylie decided to ignore his last statement. She gestured them to sit down. "I actually didn't expect to see you again, Jack," she admitted. "I thought I was totally out from the band's life."

                Jack winced. He had been the one who decided to fire her… or Kyle then. "You know we have to do it, Kyle… uh Kylie. Imagine the chaos if people find out who you really are. And besides, you were a hunted man… uh woman at the time. You could cause us a lot of trouble."

                "I understand, Jack. In fact, I would've quit myself if you hadn't fired me," she explained. "I heard the new guy is pretty good. Gary's his name, right?" Jack nodded. "Great and call me Kyle. Kylie's just a name long forgotten," she said, then looked at them curiously. "Now, is there something important you want to tell me or is this just a social call?"

                "You tell him, Amy. Kyle is closest to you," said Jack as Amy looked at Kylie, her face beaming with happiness. She took Kylie's hands in hers. "Kyle, you are my best friend as well as my only brother or sister and my protector. You are the only family that I have left and I would like you to be a part of this."

                Kylie raised her left eyebrow in curiosity. "What are you saying, Amy?"

                "Will you give me away? Will you take part in my wedding day?"

                For the first time in her life, Amy saw a surprise look on her face. Then Kylie glanced at Jack and immediately knew what was happening. She had always knew that there was some sort of attraction between the two of them since they met and it didn't really surprised her that the two finally found each other. It's just how quickly it was going.

                Then Kylie smiled and nodded. "Congratulations, both of you," she said, shaking Jack's hand. "Treat her right," she said, pointedly at him. Jack nodded and gripped her hand, promising to take care of Amy with all his life.

                "Come to the wedding, alright? It wouldn't be a wedding without you," he said.

                "I'll try but I can't promise you anything," she answered. "We're at war, remember?"

                Jack nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. "I remember."

                "Jack, would you be a dear and order something for us?" asked Amy, seeing that no waiter had come to their table to serve them. Jack nodded and kissed Amy on her cheek, knowing she wanted to talk to Kyle alone. Amy turned to Kylie, concerned. "Are you okay with this, Kyle?" she asked.

                In reality, before she had known Kyle was a girl, Amy had always tend a crush on Kyle. She saw Kyle as her very own knight-in-shining-armor and that no matter how she denied it to herself and to other people, she had loved Kyle. She even went as far as fantasizing their wedding. Kyle had always been the person she could trust and leaned on. A person that she could spend her entire life with.

                But now, she found those qualities in Jack. Not that he used to be a soldier-turned-assassin or someone who saved her from a falling building but someone who had helped her through when she was healing herself from losing Kyle in her life. Someone who was there for her.

                And it meant everything to her to have Kyle's approval of her choice of life mate.

                Kylie blinked, unexpectedly. "Of course I'm okay with it, Amy," she said. "There's no one in this world that I trust to take care of you except Jack. I know he would make you happy, Amy. I just know it." She paused. "And I'm happy when you're happy, okay."

                It was then Amy noticed that something had changed in Kyle. Something that was so discreet that others might missed it entirely. The way Kyle smile was different. It was as if she was warmer and happier although her eyes hid it well. "What is it, Kyle?" she asked, curiously. She didn't realized that she had said it aloud.

                "What?"

                "You've changed, Kyle. You're not the same person any more."

                As soon as the words left her mouth, Amy regretted it. The new Kylie suddenly vanished, replaced by the one who had greeted them that morning. "I'm still the same person, Amy," she started to say when suddenly she trailed off and looked away. "Heero?" Amy heard her whispered. A second later, the sound of siren shattered the air, warning the colonists of an attack.

                Amy looked around her in confusion but returned her gaze back to Kylie when she whispered, "Quatre needs me." She then shook her head and looked at Amy. "I have to go, Amy. I'll call you later." With that Kylie ran off, leaving Amy who watched her leave.

                By then Jack had already joined her. "Kyle's gone to the battlefield?"

                Amy nodded. "Strange but it could also be possible," she muttered, her voice full of wonder.

                "What is strange and possible?"

                "It's Kyle. I think she's in love!"

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                When the Mican trooper converged their attack on him, Quatre immediately knew that he's in for a big trouble. With Keil'n fighting to destroy him, Quatre barely had enough strength and opportunity to divide his attention on defending himself against Keil'n and destroying the Mican troopers. The others were too far away and too busy with the other Mican warriors and fighters to help him. Every time they tried to get to Quatre, their opponents would try to stop them.

                'It's like they're planning to destroy me first,' he thought as he furiously tried to block Keil'n's beam chain and at the same time dodged from the firing range of the troopers. He tried to destroy the trooper that had taken a shot at him but to his surprise, it wasn't there anymore. Then, Sandrock took a hard hit as Quatre were thrown forward.

                "Hold on," suddenly a calm voice said. Then, two of the Mican trooper exploded into pieces as he looked up. From somewhere in space, Nova appeared, heading towards Quatre and his adversary. The alien fighters immediately converged their attack on her, trying to stop her from getting there. But aside from firing and destroying some of them, Gundam Nova kept on coming, absorbing any weapon fires that connected it.

                Keil'n then sent off half of the Mican trooper that was with him but Nova or rather Kylie, was too determined to get to Quatre in time that she even ignored their attempt. She only destroyed those who were directly in her way.

                Suddenly, K'Rin broke off her engagement with Zech's Epyon and stood in Kylie's path. "Stay out of my way," the Nova pilot warned, her voice icy cold. Her eyes were on the battle between Quatre and Keil'n.

                "As long as I'm here," said K'Rin. "I will not let you interfere with Keil'n's birth wish, to destroy his mortal enemy." Suddenly she shot at Epyon, stopping it from moving any further. "And that means you too, Zechs Merquise. Today is the birth of Keil'n and I will not let you interfere too." She turned to Kylie. "You will only fight Keil'n once he destroyed your friend, for revenge if you wish."

                In his cockpit, Zechs could almost hear Kylie growling in her throat. Then he suddenly realized that he was growling too. He knew even if the Winner heir decided not to use the Zero system, mankind couldn't afford to lose a Gundam pilot right now. Not until they face the Warleader in the final battle.

                "Come on," said K'Rin. "Give me all that you two can throw. I'm sure that I could handle both of you just fine but just try and prove me wrong," she taunted them. She was eager to fight these new Gundam pilots to see if her skills matched the skills of two Gundam pilots.

                Without saying anything, Kylie pushed the throttle forward. As Nova flew directly towards K'Rin, Zechs could see that there's something dangerous in her eyes. K'Rin's Mican suit braced itself for Nova's attack when suddenly the bright gold Gundam veered off, heading straight for Keil'n.

                "I HAVE NO TIME FOR YOU!!" was the only thing Kylie said, her voice colder than usual. Seeing that K'Rin was ready to go and intercept Nova, Zech's Epyon quickly stood in her way. "_I_ have time for you so don't disappoint me." They then battled.

                Although Kylie had broken away from K'Rin, she'd still have to face the Mican trooper and the alien fighters. The other Mican warrior tried to stop her too but the only thing that they managed to do was slowing her down. Which was enough for Keil'n. He found that his opponent was getting too exhausted and too distracted to defend himself, let alone attack him.

                But somehow, something seemed to answer the Sandrock pilot's silent prayer. Coming from Earth, a troop of mobile suits were heading into the battle, destroying the other alien fighters as well as the Mican troopers. They were all heading straight for Keil'n and Quatre's way.

                "Wha…" said Quatre when a shot connected Keil'n's suit, throwing his aim off. He turned to see… "Rashid!"

                The leading brown mobile suit flew towards him. "Master Quatre, we heard that you needed some help."

                "Yeah, it's been a long time since we done this. It's really good to be back," said Abdul, who was helping out Nova. "Even if we're risking the possibility of imminent death in this war."

                Keil'n observed the newcomers with interest. They had come unexpectedly. Suddenly, he felt as if he had judged the Sandrock pilot wrong. 'Maybe the boy isn't a weakling after all. He has everyone ready and willing to die for him,' he thought with a newfound respect.

                Then, he decided to end all this. They had achieved what they came for, although he didn't get his birth wish, but he gained a respectful opponent. "Commander," he said to K'Vai. "Let's retreat for now."

                "Are you sure, Keil'n?" asked Trecna, still battling Trowa.

                "If we press on, it'll ruin this joyous day," he answered. "Besides, I think I've found something much better."

                K'Vai looked at him for a second and nodded. "Understood. Let's return to the Warleader for further instructions."

                Then, the aliens left with the human heroes watching them. Each knew that it wouldn't do any good to keep on fighting each other. They will fight each other again in near future. The main concern was to survive to see the ending battle.

                Rashid held Sandrock, which was suffering some heavy damages. "Are you alright, Master Quatre?" he asked, gently.

                "What are you doing here?" asked Quatre as he pushed himself upright. His body was hurting all over.

                "Like we said. You seemed to be in need of some assistance," Rashid answered. "We of the Maganac corps seemed to have forgotten to dispose our mobile suits so we had them lying around in the old base. Lucky for our side we still have them and they work like brand new."

                Deathscythe came over then. "Well, I could only tell you people what a good timing you have. We certainly need all the help we could get," said Duo. He then winced at the damages Deathscythe suffered from the fight. "A _really_ good timing."

                "Yeah, and with the other soldiers of the former OZ, Alliance and the guerillas had recently volunteered to fight with you in this war, I think we could actually win," said Ahmed, coming up next to Deathscythe.

                "Winning a battle is one thing," Kylie suddenly said. "But winning a war is an entirely different story. We barely be able to hold on with their small attacks, do you think we're ready for the major ones?" With that, Nova flew off, heading towards the Preventer headquarters.

                Ahmed snorted. "Sheesh, the least she could say is thanks. Who is that girl?"

                "Someone you would love to hate, if you're not into Ice Queens," said Duo.

                "No, Kylie's right," said Quatre, surprising them. "If we Gundam pilots could barely hold ourselves against these aliens, the others wouldn't stand a chance against them."

                Rashid looked at him. "What can we do to help then, Master?"

                "Stay as close to Earth as possible," he answered. "Right now, the Telrhani only attack those living in the colonies but it won't be long when he decided to attack Earth." He shook his head. "No matter what, we can't let Earth fall into their hands. It is the only and last place for humanity to survive should we lose all the colonies in space."

                He looked at each and every member of the Maganac corp. "You are humanity last line of defense. If we Gundam pilots failed or were killed trying, you must continue our effort and protect the fate of humanity."

                For a moment there was silence as each member tried to digest the weight that was placed on their shoulders. They longed to fight alongside their master but they knew it was even dire that they protect Earth from harm. "Alright, Master Quatre," said Rashid. "We will protect Earth to the bitter end, that we promise."

                Quatre smiled, weakly. "Thanks, my friends." He paused. "And good luck."

                They departed after that. The Gundam pilots headed toward the Preventer headquarters while the forty Maganac corp. members headed towards Earth. Each were determined to fulfill the mission given by their beloved master.

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                "I see," said Warleader Varishk, nodding. "I'm sorry you didn't get your birth wish, Keil'n but I'm really pleased that you found something even better." He looked at them all. "Go and rest my Mican Warriors. Your final battle will be sooner than I anticipated."

                He then turned to Sira. "Commander, will you come with me please," he said as he stood up. They then left the bridge, as all occupants bowed before their leave. They walked for a moment towards a room where they had enjoyed all the pleasure with each other.

                As soon as the door slid close, Varishk sat, facing the beautiful woman before him. "I think it's time we raise the stakes, Sira," he said, his eyebrow curved, deeply pleased. Knowing exactly what he meant, Sira nodded. "I'll handle it, Warleader," she said.

                "I know you'll handle it well but I'm only reluctant because then I wouldn't be seeing you for quite some time."

                Sira knelt before him and held his hands. "I'll be back, lover. No matter what happen," she said, softly. "Nothing can come between us. Nothing," she said. Varishk leaned forward to kiss her. And then the kiss turned to a hungry feeling for each other.

                "Come," said Varishk, pulling away. "Let's enjoy what little time left we have with each other."

                "I'm yours forever, my lord."

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                Heero ran a thorough diagnostic on Wing Zero. Since the others had finished repairing their Gundams, the hangar seemed a little quiet without the sound of clanging metal and sizzling sparks. When the diagnostic showed him the result, Heero was satisfied enough that Wing Zero had returned to its top condition and turned off the panel. He was about to call it a day when he heard a clang.

                He looked at the end of the room, only to find his twin sister still working on Nova. When they entered the hangar, Kylie hadn't been there but when she returned, she told them that she was just giving Amy Pierson a call. Then, she just went to Nova and began her work, silently.

                As Heero assessed the physical damage Nova sustained, he determined that she will have a lot of work to do. That she would be spending another night repairing the damages on Nova despite its Gundanium armory. "You shouldn't be taking too much beating for Quatre, you know," he voiced, feeling the need to say something.

                Kylie turned, surprised to see him there. "Although Nova is made of Gundanium alloy, nothing in this world is perfect. If you keep on taking the beatings, you will end up weakening the armor." He paused. "You should stop taking the beating for Quatre now or he would get you killed too. Along with him."

                For a moment she didn't say a thing. But when she finally spoke, she didn't look at him. "I have too, Heero. I'm doing this not just for Quatre but for all of us." She looked up at him. "Quatre is the only person in our team that could really lead us. The only person that could really bind us together. If we lose him, we would eventually scattered the way we were a few years ago and eventually get ourselves killed fighting the aliens alone."

                "You know that all of us could only think about fighting alone. That all of us are trained and very used to fighting by ourselves," she said. "But Quatre, though he was trained to fight alone, he could still team up with the Maganac corp. because he's a team player. And only he could really pull all of us together."

                "And that's why I'm doing this," she said. "If I were killed in action, that's fine. You only lose a good pilot. But if we lost Quatre, we not only lose a good pilot but a good strategist _and_ a leader." She looked at him. "Tell me seriously, Heero. Who is Quatre to you?"

                Heero stared back at her, deciding how much he should tell her. But remembering that this was his twin that he's talking to, he decided to come clean. "He is the heart of the team." He nodded. "You're right. If you hadn't taken the responsibility to protect him, I would."

                "I know you would."

                In the shadows, a figure backed away from the entrance, after hearing the exchange between Heero and Kylie. He gently placed the tray of food on the floor, near the door and started to walk away. He didn't know that that's what they really feel about him. He hadn't realized how important he was to everybody.

                Remembering what Noin had said to him earlier, he realized that it must have been true. But that only made his decision-making more difficult. Now he had to consider if his sanity is more important than the lives of his people _and_ those he loved.

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                Relena blinked as she read through the message. Then she rubbed her eyes, still couldn't believe the content of the message. Vincent, who was standing next to her, studied her carefully. His excitement was clearly written on his face. "You see?" he asked, grinning.

                "I see it but I found it hard to believe it could be this easy," said Relena. Then she frowned. "But it is possible that we had a defector in the enemy's camp. Maybe he or she finally see that this war will bring both sides nothing but more deaths." She looked at Vincent. "If we could somehow convince this person to have peace with us, maybe we could persuade the others too."

                "So, you are going to meet this Telrhani then?" he speculated.

                She nodded. "Of course. If there's any chance we're going to have peace with them, we have to grab it. After all, we were wondering how to get our message across to the Telrhani. Maybe this one could relay that message to the others."

                "So you're not afraid if this could be some sort of trap?"

                "The thought crossed my mind," she admitted. "But what good will that do to them? They're here to invade, remember? Why take hostages?" She shook her head. "No, this could be our only chance to forge peace with another race. We may not have another."

                Vincent nodded. "Good, because I think the Telrhani's call just got in," he said, motioned towards Relena's vidscreen. She turned to see an image of a female Telrhani. She was beautiful as she was alien looking. Her hair was green and her eyes were dark brown, without whites.

                "I gather you got my message?" she began, seeing the two of them.

                "Yes, though we were quite surprise by it," said Vincent. "How did you know it was us you should contact?"

                "You'll be surprise if you know how many spies we sent to Earth," she answered without elaborating anything. "I know the two of you, so I should tell you who I am. For now, I go by the name of Celcie. I am a faithful servant of the Warleader Variskh."

                Relena and Vincent exchanged glances. "If you were faithful, then why…?" she asked.

                The woman shook her head. "Don't get me wrong. And don't get the Warleader wrong, too. He take no pleasure in this war. The real enemy is really Emperor Gylendar. He is the one who ordered the invasion of this galaxy. The Warleader, despite his hostile appearence, was really a man of peaceful nature. He had seen a lot of deterioration of our people and decided that if we were to survive as a race, we should stop warring with the other races and start living together in peace."

                "But the Emperor has many spies known as the Emperor's Eye. Fearing that he would be discovered, the Warleader decided to work secretly. Which is why he chose this galaxy to invade." She paused. "This galaxy had been the farthest yet from our homeworld and he thought distance could make it easier for him to launch his plan for peace."

                Relena shook her head. "Then why attack us? Why not just send us a message of peace?"

                "He can't. There are Emperor's Eyes everywhere in his fleet. So he took the pain of staging battles with your people." Celcie looked at them. "Notice that he only targeted your Gundam pilots and not attacking Earth directly."

                The two nodded.

                "He was hoping that the pilots would be strong enough enemies to keep themselves alive while he tried to detect the Emperor spies. And you have my word that as long as the spies are not found and killed, he will continue to stage these small battles with your Gundams."

                "What if the Mican Warrior killed them in the process?" asked Vincent.

                Celcie shook her head. "They won't. The Mican Warriors are faithful to the Warleader. They would obey his every order and right now their order is to provoke the Gundams without causing any permanent damage."

                "Yeah, I see what you mean," he said. "Your warriors have a lot of opportunity to destroy our Gundams and yet they choose not to."

                Celcie nodded in respect. "Actually, your Gundams are pretty impressive themselves. Especially their pilots. They have withstood things that could've killed any lesser race." Then she straightened herself. "I can't stay here long. My being here was only to tell you that you have a friend here. I'll try to keep in touch with you whenever I'm able."

                "When will we meet personally?" asked Relena.

                "Soon." She nodded at them. "Be safe, my new friends."

                Relena nodded as the image faded. "Stay safe." She then looked at Vincent. "Looks like we're in for a rough ride."

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                The Earth smelled exactly like the green meadow she was in when she had been a child. But the difference was that on Earth, they had flying creatures that could sing called birds. There was nothing like that in the meadow where she lived years ago. Nothing like that at all in her world.

                And the skies were blue, not the tinge of amber of her planet, which darkened the skies. Here, everything was so bright, colorful and alive. And Mylin's favorite light would be the at break of dawn, where the skies would have a tinge of purple-blue before it was replaced by the golden tinge of the sun. In her world, the skies would only gave a darker shade of amber during night because of the presence of the two red sun, making most of the things on her world either red, brown, yellow or dark green.

                But here, there were more color and more sight. The flowers aren't all red and yellow. As she explored, she had caught sight of purple, blue and pink flowers. And the trees were green, and only turned red, yellow and gold when it was autumn or so she learned from the readings she'd done on the planet.

                Savoring the beauty of the planet deep in side her heart, she turned her attention on the creatures that lived there. Although she had been living among them for a short while, they still mystified her. Sure, there were similarities between them and her kind. Their thirst for war, appreciation for beauty, their loyalty to their leaders but still there's one thing that she would call as unacceptable about these creatures. They don't see some of them as being above all others. They looked at as each other as… what was the word…equal?

                That had been unacceptable to Mylin. Among her people, it was dire for some to be above the others. Some were masters of all and many others were slave for the masters. The strong would became stronger and the weak would be repressed until they get weaker and eventually ceased to exist. It was part of their life that they should all looked out for their own self. If you don't, you would be one of the weakling and would've sealed your fate forever as a slave.

                Mylin's life had been the exact case. Her parents had been slaves for a master of an estate all their lives. But somehow, they managed to produce a large family with thirty kids. On Telrhan the master or slaver would forced their slaves to mate and produce younglings so they could either sell them to get money or send them to work on the fields or the mines. Mylin was the 27th child and was going to be sold to a whorehouse when she was only five. Somehow, the owner of the house saw the beauty that she would grew up to be and decided to buy her at a very young age. And he also had convinced her parents' master to sell Mylin's youngest sister, who was just a baby, when she's old enough.

                But Mylin, even in that age, determined not to live like her parents and brothers and sisters. And so one night when the master's guards had been sleepy and drunk, she ran away with her baby sister without carrying anything valuable to finance their journey. They fled deep into the forest, hoping the seclusion would swallow their marks, erasing their existence forever.

                It had been a tough and rough journey. Her sister was barely a year old and Mylin had to be the one to look for food in the vast and thick forest. First they fed on fruits for a few months but when their bodies were forcing them some meat, it was then Mylin first learned to kill a creature. She also learned to steal from any passing travelers so they would at least have the taste of real food coming from the cities.

                When Mylin was ten, they were forced to move back to the city after hearing the news that their master was still looking for them. Mylin and her sister journeyed for a long, hard time before they entered Jorkas, the city that's far away from where the came from. Here, they planned to blend in with the other slaves, hoping that none would see that they're not owned. By that time, Mylin was good enough a thief to steal food to sustain their needs and found a well-hidden place for them to live in.

                Until one day, _she_ happened to come by. That day, Mylin had told her sister to wait for her at the usual place where she would hand her the food she stole. But that day, Sira was in the city, patrolling. It was that day, Sira's eyes landed on the beautiful child that was Mylin's sister. It was that day, Sira's jealousy surfaced and instead of turning the girl to the nearest whorehouse, she killed her. And it was that day, Mylin's life changed.

                The rest was all blurry to Mylin. The how she became the Emperor's Eyes, how she was sent to this so distant galaxy to serve her master. Right then, Mylin's only purpose in life was revenge and revenge alone. She became the person that she herself had ran away from, the servant of a master. Only here, she wasn't a slave and only here, she love the man who was her master.

                She sighed. Things were different in this world. Those who were weak were not tortured but supported. There were no sign that said the leaders were beyond the law like the one in her world. And most of all, everybody looked out for each other and lived together in peace. So much like the ones who lived in the colonies.

                Again, she wondered. What was the thing that made these lower creatures so easily to live with one another? She knew that it couldn't be love because her kind do love but still they took advantage on those who were weak. It couldn't be loyalty because loyalty did exist among her people.

                'What is it that made your race so different from my race?' she pondered, thoughtfully. 'What is it that made me so calm and relaxed whenever I am among you? What makes the raging soul inside me rest so easily?'

                Suddenly her musings were interrupted when a girl appeared in her line of vision. She was a little girl with light brown hair and blue eyes. She was about five years old, the same age when her sister was killed. And there was a child-like innocence on her beautiful face that reminded her of her little sister.

                "Hi," she said, shyly. Then she thrust her hand forward. "You seemed you could use a few of these," she said. It was then Mylin noticed that there was something in her little hands. It was a bunch of wild flowers.

                Mylin took it, not knowing exactly what to say. Nobody had ever give her anything. Nobody. Not even her Emperor, which was to be expected. She's the servant and he's the master. If anything, she's the one who's suppose to give him something.

                But this little creature's gesture somehow touched Mylin, deep. Deeper than she knew. And somehow, a warm but choking feeling started to overwhelm her. "Right," she said, feeling the need to say something. "You may leave now."

                The girl frowned and then she laughed. Again, Mylin longed for the presence of her little sister. "You forgot to say thank you," said the little girl. "Grandpa always said to thank those who gave you gifts. It's polite."

                It was Mylin's turn to frown. "I wouldn't know. I never had a grandpa."

                "Oh?" said the girl, suddenly feeling guilty. Then she brightened. "Well, you can share my grandpa. It's only him and me now. I think he wouldn't mind taking another granddaughter."

                That made Mylin laughed. It wasn't that it was amusing. It was just that the choking feeling was overwhelming her and she felt she should cover it. It's also because of the irony of things. Here, her race was about to be invaded and enslaved and the girl was talking about adopting her, an enemy. And without knowing that soon her grandfather wouldn't be in a position to offer haven to anyone.

                But surprisingly, that thought troubled her. She didn't know why but deep inside, she craved for the tranquility that Earth had to offer. And she knew once her people came and conquer the world, the tranquility would vanish too. And that thought alone saddened her.

                "Coming, grandpa!" the girl suddenly shouted over her shoulder. She turned back to Mylin. "That's grandpa. He said we got to go because he has an important dinner party to go to. You see, grandpa is a very important man," she said with pride.

                Mylin smiled. "I'm sure he is." Then suddenly she did the thing that she hadn't done in years. She leaned over and kissed the girl on her head. "I'll see you soon, okay?" she found herself said. The girl blushed and smiled happily. And that she ran back to the old man that was waiting for her a few yards away. Once the girl was gone, Mylin found herself missing her already.

                'Why did you have to go?' she thought, to the little girl as well as to the spirit of her little sister.

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                Kylie worked patiently but somehow, she felt her patience running thin. She had been repairing her Gundam since the day before and at the same time trying to bypass the security code Lady Une had put in to deny her access to the Zero system. She had planned to finish repairing Nova first before attempting to break the code but when she heard that they ran out of a few parts for the Gundams, she had to wait for the new shipment which will be due the next day. To use her time productively, Kylie opted to try and bypass the code since Treize's former assistant refused to give her the access code.

                But until now, she failed to do it. Somehow, Lady Une anticipated all her moves and had installed a program that blocked her every attempt at hacking into the system. Frustration eating her very being, Kylie decided to tear herself away from the screen and turned to the section that needed repairs. Again, she fought the urge to steal some parts from the other Gundams and decided to make do with what she had and improvise.

                She was examining a burnt part when her vision started to cloud over, reminding her that she hadn't been sleeping for two days now… correction, three days. Usually, she could go on not sleeping for five days but lately things had been tiring and the fact that she was still under the doctor's advise for a good rest made her body tire easily.

                Suddenly a noise made her jumped. Quatre Winner gave her an apologetic look, his hands was holding a tray. Seeing who it was, she relaxed. "Sorry to have startled you but I noticed you didn't have anything to eat since this morning, so I brought you some food."

                Kylie glanced at the tray. The soup smelled good and very tempting and as before, she immediately recognized his handiwork. "Thanks but you shouldn't have cooked for my sake. You could always give me those stuff they're feeding the others."

                "The cold stew?" he said, disbelief, "No way. Besides, I _want_ to do it for you."

                At that Kylie looked at him, her expression unreadable. Then she smiled. "Thanks for caring, Quatre," she said, putting down the burnt part and came over to him. He handed her the bowl and watched as she eat. Neither of them talked for a long time.

                "Actually, I should be thanking _you_," said Quatre, surprising Kylie. She looked at him, questioningly. When she realized what he was referring to, she stared at the steaming soup. "No, don't thank me," she said, surprising him now. She then looked at him. "Just help me to help you."

                At that Quatre looked away. "True, it was your fault that a colony was destroyed three years ago. True, it was you who caused Trowa to lose his memory." She looked at him, seriously. "But you've already atoned for it, Quatre. You've paid whatever you did wrong a long time ago." At that he looked at her, surprised. "It's time to let go, Quatre. It's time to forgive yourself."

                "Kylie, I…" He buried his head in his hands. "I don't know what to do."

                At that, Kylie put a hand on his shoulder. "Listen, Quatre. You have to listen what _Sandrock_ wants. He will tell you what you have to do." For a moment, they stared at each other. Quatre was searching for something on her face that would banish the uncertainty inside him and she was showing her support for his decision.

                He then rose and walked over to Sandrock. Like Nova, it still needed a few works and the parts that were coming the next day. He leapt into the cockpit and ran a diagnostic on its system. Thinking about what Kylie had just said, Quatre leaned back and closed his eyes. "Sandrock, please. Tell me what I should do? What _you_ want to do?" he whispered.

                For a moment, nothing happened so he just stayed there, letting his mind wandered. Then suddenly, the image of three years ago flashed in his mind. The first time he board Sandrock to go to Earth to commence Operation Meteor, his first meeting with the others at the New Edwards base, his father's unjustly death, his moments of insanity and his duel with Dorothy. The words he said to her.

                _"I wouldn't fight if I could help it. But unless I keep on fighting you people won't surrender and the war would never end…"_

_                "I have to fight if I'm going to ward off my family's sorrow…"_

_                "I'm not fighting to receive any kind of compensation…"_

                Those words and the images suddenly been replaced by the most recent one. The previous war where he, Trowa, Duo, Zechs and Noin were fighting a losing battle against the Mariemaia's Army. The part where Zechs and Noin asked them to retreat.

                _"If we were fighting to kill, we would be done long ago. But if we did, then there won't be any meaning at all in our coming back here…"_

_                "And that's the reason why we've always been able to remain as ourselves…"_

                He had said those words to Noin and Zechs, telling them the reason why they had been fighting losing battle all their lives. And even now, they themselves were fighting losing battle, against the more superior alien race, the Telrhani.

                But that was not what struck Quatre then. The words he had said earlier then, it had not only come from within his heart but also from someone else. Or something else. It was then he realized that Sandrock wanted the same thing that he desired. That the two of them were more than partners. Both of them, like Heero, Trowa, Duo, Wu Fei and their Gundams, were the same as one. Each can only exist when both are together.

                Suddenly, the heaviness in his chest started to lift. Quatre finally saw what he must do. Feel it with all his being. With that, he started to smile to himself as he drifted on…

                Kylie went back to work. But as she was cleaning a greasy part, she said to Quatre, "You should probably go to your room and get some rest, Quatre. I'll be finishing soon, anyway."

                When there was no answer, she drifted over to Sandrock's cockpit, worried. But what she saw right then put a gentle smile on her face. Sitting on the seat was Quatre, sound asleep with a smile on his face. She thought that he looked more like an angel then and more child-like. She then returned to Nova and slipped into the cockpit to grab the blanket Howard provided her.

                Then she returned to Quatre's side and put the blanket over his body. Seeing that a stray hair had fallen onto his eyelid, she brushed it aside, affectionately. She almost kissed him on the forehead when something inside her warned her off. Shaking that feeling, she smiled and whispered, "Sleep well, Quatre. I'll be here when you wake up."

                Then, she returned to Nova and continued with the repairs. The warm feeling stayed with her as she started to hum a nameless song.

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                Dorothy strode along the corridor, feeling confused and angry. Then came the feeling of betrayal and pain that started to overwhelm her. She had just seen what happened between Quatre and Kylie. A few minutes ago, she had spotted Quatre walking over to the hangar with a tray. She thought that he was planning to work late that night. Seeing him then, gave her the strength to tell him exactly what she felt about him and she followed him, thinking that the quiet hangar would be a secluded place enough for that kind of conversation. But what she found was Kylie and Quatre, talking.

                Her being there was expected. Somehow, the two had been close friends ever since they were taken prisoners. But the words they said to each other, the way they said it, warned Dorothy of something. But she hadn't know what it was until Kylie's last words to Quatre, when he was fast asleep.

'What has happened? How did that happen?' she asked herself, feeling cheated. 'Both of them are involved? My Quatre and Kylie? Why did it happen this way?' she thought as she made her way back to her room. 'Why?'

                Then her chest started to burn as the feeling of betrayal and pain crashed over her, completely. She felt betrayed by Kylie, who should have been observant enough to realize that someone else was in love with Quatre and felt pain because he didn't see that she loved him with all her heart. Suddenly, her body started to rack with emotions that she cannot control and felt tears starting to pour out.

                Trying badly to hold back tears, Dorothy ran into her room and buried her head under a pillow. Then, everything inside her burst as she found herself once again alone in this world. Without hope, without love.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	8. Chapter 8: Back to Zero

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!☺

**TIMELINE:** The story mostly takes place after Endless Waltz. To be more precise, one year after Endless Waltz. That means two years after my very own Treize's Revenge series.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST VIII: BACK TO ZERO. 

By Arayelle Lynn.

                "So you think it's finally safe enough for us to meet?" Relena asked the person on the other end. As promised, Celcie, Relena's only contact with the Telrhani contacted her through a very secured channel. Vincent had been with her when they received the call and now, he's watching the two young women made their deal.

                Celcie nodded. "Yes, the Warleader has every potential Emperor's Eyes on Earth and he felt it's safe now to transport you and Mr. Dupree to his ship. He gave his word that he would cease any orders to attack as long as you're in his care. He would've to answer why to the Emperor but the Warleader has already a plan to take care of it. His only wish now is to announce his defection and help you gain peace with his people."

                "How's he going to do that?" asked Vincent.

                "The Warleader first planned to have peace with your race. Then, once we've established a strong relationship, he would go back to our homeworld and tried to persuade the other nobles to dethrone the Emperor and made a peaceful relation with your race. Then we can truly be in peace with you."

                "I'm not quite sure I approve of your Warleader's plan. If he planned to dethrone his Emperor, thousands will die because of the civil war," said Relena, seriously. "Earth have suffered that sort of things since the beginning of time."

                Celcie looked at her, exasperated. "But the Emperor is the main enemy to both of our races. He's the one who has a strong thirst for blood. He's the one we must destroy at any cost."

                "Maybe, but what about the innocent people that die in the process?"

                For a moment the alien woman quieted. Then she looked at Relena and smiled. "Maybe once both of us became friends then we can talk how we could make my people see our pure intentions. Maybe through your own experience, you can teach us a thing or two."

                Relena returned her smile. "I'm sure we can."

                "Good," said Celcie. "Be prepared. I will be coming personally to fetch you and Mr. Dupree. You have been told the place and time, so there shouldn't be a problem, right?"

                "Right, Vincent and I will be there."

                Celcie smiled and nodded. "Good. I'll see you then, Miss Relena."

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                Sira cut off the communication and looked away. She then started to smile, realizing her plan had started to fall into places. "Fools, you should've known that the Empire would never yield to the likes of you," she said, then reached over to contact her Warleader.

                "Sira?" said the Warleader.

                "Everything is in progress," said Sira. "It had been very easy to fool the ever-eager pacifists. You will have them soon enough, Warleader. That I promise you." She paused, looking at the reports on her table. "And, oh, the troops on Earth are ready to commence phase two. The spy Mylin has been informed of her mission a few hours ago."

                Warleader nodded, smiling. "Good, Sira. I have a feeling that things will be going in our favor."

                "Yes, Warleader," she said, but there was doubt in her voice and he detected it.

                "What is it, Commander?" he asked.

                Sira took a moment before finally spoke. "It's Mylin. I don't trust her, my lord. I have a strong feeling that she would betray us."

                Varishk was silent for a moment as he considered it. Then he nodded. "Don't worry about Mylin. Her loyalty will be determine by her actions in the assault on Earth. That, or she will die proving it."

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                Relena and Vincent strode along the hallway, quietly. They had just passed a hangar which the Gundams were being stored and found Kylie working on Nova. To maintain their secrecy, Relena decided that they should made their way even quieter and to watch out for anyone coming from either side. Each prayed that they would not be discovered.

                After walking for what seemed like hours, Vincent finally found the shuttle that he's capable of piloting and they both left the Preventer  headquarters, without much trouble. Once outside, they made their way towards the appointed place, a docking bay in L5 K21183 colony.

                There, a woman was waiting for them. As Relena made her way closer to her, she could see that it was in fact the same woman that had been contacting her all these while. "Greetings, Miss Relena, Duke Dupree," she said as they stopped.

                "Please, call me Relena and this is Vincent," said Relena, as they shook hands.

                Celcie looked at them, carefully. "I trust no one followed you here? It would jeopardize the whole situation if someone does."

                "Don't worry. No one know we were here," said Relena, reassuringly.

                Celcie nodded and gestured at the alien shuttle behind her. "Shall we go?"

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                Heero's eyes snapped open as a feeling of dread started to overwhelm him. His heart was beating faster than usual as he tried to determine why. Was it because of the dream he had? Telling him that something bad was about to happen. Something that even he cannot stop. Something that was connected to Relena.

                Quickly, he jumped out from his bed, startling Adin in the process. He then ran out of the room, almost colliding with Trowa who caught him in time. "What's wrong?" the tall Gundam pilot asked. Heero glanced behind him and saw Wu Fei was also coming out from his room and was looking at the two of them.

                Realizing he hadn't answered Trowa's question, he said one word, "Relena," before continuing his way towards her room. There, he discovered that her room was empty and was about to search the whole place when Noin came running.

                "Heero," she said, panting. "Relena's gone. She left a message for all of us."

                Heero followed Noin to the bridge, with Trowa and Wu Fei close in pursue. When they finally got to the bridge, Lady Une, Zechs, Sally and Howard were waiting for them patiently. But Heero could see the anxiety that played on each of their faces, especially Zechs's.

                A second later, Kylie, Quatre, Duo and Dorothy entered. "We couldn't find Vincent either," Quatre reported. Lady Une nodded, acknowledging his report as she began to address all of them. "A few minutes ago, an agent reported that he gave permission to take off to a shuttle that left the premises about an hour earlier. It had been Relena, telling him that she and Vincent are going to an important meeting for the Earth Sphere."

                "That was before I discovered a message sent to us through the internal network," she continued. "And after hearing the message myself, I decided that it is dire for all of you to hear it as well." She then signaled to an agent. Then, the image of Relena appeared on the screen.

                _"My friends, the next time you'll see me the war would either end or you will find me dead. Either way, I am prepared. But I cannot leave you without explaining why I'm attempting what I'm doing right now."_ She paused to inhale. _"For many generations now, we have been involved in so many wars. Though the war had taught each of us something, we never seemed to be able to keep it in mind. Except for a few individuals that were deeply cut by this war and even they must continue to live so they would be able to remind our people the horrors of war."_

                _"We must stop all this fighting. If we don't, we won't have any future. This is the reason why I decided to deal with the Telrhani on my own."_ She looked away. _"I've never learn how to fight and so I never knew how does it feel when a person kills. All I know is to make a well written speech to captivate my audience so they could see my intentions for peace. That is my strength, now I know."_

                _"Which is why I decided to do this. I will use my strength with the Telrhani so I could captivate their hearts as I've captivate yours. I know it's dangerous, but I must do this. If not, all my ideals of total peace would be just ideals."_ She smiled. _"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Farewell for now,"_ she said but her last words seemed to be directed to Heero, who's wearing an unreadable expression.

                Lady Une turned to stare at the occupants of the room. Zechs, Noin, Sally, Quatre, Duo and Dorothy were clearly showing their fears on their faces while Trowa and Wu Fei were calm. She turned to look at Heero, his reaction to the news was unreadable while Kylie was watching him, carefully.

                Howard whistled. "That's one brave girl."

                "Or a fool," said Wu Fei, surprising all of them. "This has got to be the dumbest stunt she ever pulled."

                They looked at each other for a few seconds. Suddenly, they heard a sound of running footsteps, leaving the bridge. "Heero, where are you going?" Lady Une called out. Then Kylie, Wu Fei and Trowa followed him. "Kylie! Trowa! Wu Fei!" She surprised that her own agent, Wu Fei, ignored her call. When Quatre and Duo started to leave as well, she stopped them.

                "Where are you going?"

                Quatre stopped while Duo continued on. "They all suspected that this is a trap set to get Miss Relena. We're going to stop Relena before it's too late," he answered her. But as he was starting to turn around, the bridge was deafened with the alarms and a second later, the whole base shook.

                Lady Une found herself on the floor with Quatre. The boy looked away, his face wore a severe look that she had never seen before on him. "We're underattack," he said as smoke started to fog their vision. Just then, a Preventer agent confirmed his speculation but before Lady Une could say anything, Quatre was already out running.

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                5.00 a.m. 

Mylin waited patiently for the ground troop to meet her at their designated rendezvous point. The call had came a few hours ago that she was required to assist a group of Telrhani special ground troop in their secret mission. All Mylin was ordered to do was to provide them with a transportation that could get them back to the fleet without alerting the locals.

                And so, Mylin 'rented' an Earth shuttle, after killing the owner of course, flew it over into the forest and now was waiting for these 'ground troop'. Again curiosity started to nibble at her conscious as she wondered why the Warleader sent a special troop down on Earth.

                She slapped her face as she felt a slight pain. She had grown to love what Earth had to offer while she was there but there's only one thing that caused her great annoyance. She found herself hating bugs, especially the ones the human called mosquitoes.

                Her patience was growing thin when she heard an explosion. Thinking that somehow the mission was a failure, Mylin's first impulse was to take off since it was part of her training to abort a failing mission. But something jarred her curiosity, something that made her ran towards where the noise came from.

                Then, she heard a rustling sound that came from the other way. She quickly took out her weapon and trained it evenly as a group of people broke out through the bushes. But to her relief, it was the ground troop. "What happened?" she asked as the group halted, surprised to see her. "And who is that?" she asked, seeing a human being carried over by one of them.

                "You're not authorize to that information," said the leader she vaguely recognized. "I thought you were suppose to meet us at the designated point. You're way off your position, spy."

                Mylin fought the urge to kill him right there. "I heard and explosion. Thought you could use some help."

                "Well, we don't," he said, nodding to the man who was carrying the human. The man took off towards where Mylin left the shuttle. "You did good, spy. Now I suggest you go because a group of Preventer agents are heading this way."

                "I thought I was to come with you?" she said, surprised.

                The leader shook his head. "You'll be fetch later. For now, we have to leave, quickly."

                Mylin glanced back, where the human was taken. Again, she wondered who he was and why the secrecy. Suddenly there was another rustling sound as one of his men addressed the leader. "That must be the second group. They were suppose to bring over the little girl."

                Something struck her as weird at that point. She was curious as to why the team would be collecting an old human man and a little girl. But her thoughts were broken when the rest of the team appeared. "Sir," said one of them. "We lost the girl. And the human agents are getting closer."

                That displeased the leader. "You lost a little girl?," he quoted, grabbing the man's uniform. "Find her at all cost and we'll decide whether to come back for you or not. Don't fail me," he hissed, addressing the second group. Mylin saw fear in their eyes as they started to leave.

                The leader turned to Mylin, deciding that she had heard enough. "You still here, spy? I thought I told you to leave?"

                At first, Mylin thought of telling him that she outranked him. But that would mean revealing her identity as an Emperor's Eye. So, she bit back a retort and nodded. "I was just leaving," she said and ran to the east.

                After running for a few minutes, she turned north to double back and find out exactly what they were doing. She knew that it could be dangerous with the Preventers roaming around but Mylin felt it was dire for her to know about the mission so she could report back to the Emperor. As she was running, she suddenly heard a sobbing noise that came from her left. Quickly, she went to that noise only to hit a small figure who screamed.

                Mylin quickly grabbed the little girl as she tried to struggle. She was about to contact the second ground troop when her eyes met a very familiar blue eyes. She blinked. "You!" she said, almost releasing the girl.

                When Mylin released the little girl, she quickly ran away but the spy was quicker. She grabbed the girl's shoulder and shook her. "Little girl! Stop moving," she said, her voice just barely over a whisper. She knew that the others were around.

                For a moment, the little girl looked up to her in fear. Her blue eyes were wide and wet but that didn't put a damper to the girl's innocent beauty. Then, as second later, her eyes widened some more as recognition crossed her face. "You're that lady in the park!" she said, her voice full of wonder.

                Mylin nodded and tried to smile when suddenly the girl's eyes widened again as she tried to wrestle herself free from her grasp. "No, you're one of them! You kidnapped grandpa," she squealed. Mylin didn't know whether it was the revelation of the mission, the accusation or the fact that the girl thought her as one of her attackers. But whatever it was, she lost her grasp on the girl and took a step back. Then, she saw her sunglasses lying on the ground as she realized that somehow her only mean of protecting her alien eyes fell while she was struggling with the little girl.

                Then, she realized that the girl was gone. Quickly, Mylin chased after the girl with the help of the sound of rustling leaves, knowing she could catch up with her at any time. But one thing that concerned Mylin were the Preventers and the ground troop, which wouldn't take her interference kindly. And she knew that she must find the girl before she revealed her position as well as Mylin's.

                A scream filled the air and Mylin quickened her pace. When she saw a member of the ground troop wrestling with the girl, Mylin quickly lashed out a kick. The trooper grunted as he released the girl. He then turned to look at his adversary and his eyes widened in surprise. But before he could execute her, she buried a dagger inside his abdomen. His face angry, he stared at her.

                "I knew it! I knew you're a traitor to the Warleader," he said, as he grabbed her shoulder. Then he grinned. "But watch out, traitor, the Regent will rule over the Emperor and we will have our victory." Mylin let him fell to the ground as she stared at the blade in her hands.

                'Am I a traitor?' she asked herself, surprised that she actually killed one of her own kind because of a human. For a moment, uncertainty started to overwhelm her as she doubted her motive. She wondered if these humans had somehow affected her in a strange way that she turned on her own people. Then, remembering what he said before he died, she put her blade away.

                "If there's a traitor here, then it's you," she said, her voice full of hate. "My loyalty lies only to the Emperor."

                Then she turned to the girl, who was cowering in fear. She went to her and offered her hand. "Don't worry, little girl. I'm your sister, remember and I will not let anyone hurt you," she said. Seeing the girl didn't move, she added, "I promise."

                That seemed to take an effect on the girl as she took Mylin's hand. Then girl hugged her, much to Mylin's surprise but before they could do anything, there were more rustling sound coming in their way. Mylin quickly gathered the girl in her arms, knowing that her scream must have attracted many attention. She itched to get the girl to the safety of the Preventers but knew that she must first get the girl safe, away from the ground troop.

                She looked at the girl. "Hold on," she said. Mylin was checking her bearing when she suddenly heard a voice.

                "Halt!" she turned and saw a group of Preventers training their guns on her.

                Suddenly another group appeared. "Mylin!" shouted a member of the ground troop. Bad move for them. The Preventer agents trained their guns on them. Seizing the perfect moment, Mylin quickly ran away from the line of fire. For a moment, she heard surprise cries coming from them and followed by a series of gun fires. She felt the earth jumped where the bullets hit but still she continued. Her only hope was that she could get the girl to safety and start planning on how to rescue the girl's grandfather.

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                Duo gritted his teeth as Deathscythe shook. Then, he returned the fire, destroying the alien fighter as another one stationed itself in the same position. "Man!" he growled, avoiding a fire. "Don't they ever ran out of these things?"

                "I guess not," said Quatre, a few meters away. "But we should be thankful that they're only sending out the fighters. If we were engaged with a battle against the Mican Warrior then headquarter wouldn't stand a chance."

                The others didn't say anything. Each were trying to destroy the annoying fighters before they could attack the Preventer headquarter. When they had determined that Relena Darlian was in danger, they quickly got to their Gundams to get to her before it was too late. But before they could get even farther from MOV, the headquarter was underattack and the Gundams were forced to hold their position to defend it.

                But so far they weren't doing anything that could change the balance. And Duo personally thought that the aliens purposely trapped them there so they wouldn't be able to rescue Relena and Vincent. As he was fighting, Duo wondered what the others were thinking.

                He knew that Heero and Zechs were fighting furiously to break away so they could rescue Relena. And Trowa, Wu Fei, Quatre, Noin, Sally and Kylie, including himself, were trying hard to give the two the luxury but neither of them seemed successful. And even with MOV firing on the alien fighters, they weren't doing any damage because the fighters were too fast.

                Duo cursed the god of luck, realizing now why he only worshipped the god of death. 'Man, at this rate, things couldn't get any worse,' he thought. Suddenly, the small screen overhead winked and Lady Une appeared. "Gundam pilots! There's a troop heading toward the colony at point E 13."

                Duo cursed himself. 'You had to challenge the god of luck, don't you?' he scolded himself. With the news, now it was dire for them to finish off this battle so they could rescue the colonists. He wondered what his strategy should be.

                Meanwhile, Quatre slammed his fist on the console after hearing Lady Une's report. Now not only that Relena's life was in danger, but the aliens had decided to take the oppurtunity to gather some slaves. And if they didn't finish off the battle soon, thousands of lives would be in jeopardy.

                Frustration started to gnaw on him as he tried to decide what to do. But all he came out with was a big fat zero that made him even more frustrated with himself. 'Why can't my mind work right now? Why all I can think off was the many lives that will lost if we do not act quickly?'

                Suddenly, something made his mind clearer. He started to remember the visions of the past that he had  just seen a few hours ago and decided it was time. Gathering all his strength and ignoring the fires that hit him, Quatre typed in the code. He drew a deep breath as the cockpit came to life. Then, everything was made clear to him. But when he said the next words, he scarcely believed that it was his voice.

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                When Sandrock stopped, Kylie was troubled. She tried to contact Quatre but he didn't answer her calls. The alien fighters were still firing on him which forced Kylie to move in and defend Sandrock. She knew that something was happening to Quatre but she didn't know what. All she knew was that she had to protect him.

                "Trowa and Heero!" said a calm voice that startled her. "Start firing the fighters on your left while Zechs, Noin, Sally and I fire at the remaining fighters. We have to give Wu Fei, Duo and Kylie a way out of here so they could go rescue the colony."

                Duo blinked. "Quatre, is that really you?" he asked, surprised by the strange calmness in his voice. Even the others were looking at his way. "You sound weird."

                "Just do it," said Quatre, with a distinctive urgency in his voice. "Then Trowa, Noin, Sally and I will find a way to help Zechs and Heero get away to rescue Relena and Vincent."

                Zechs voice sounded over the comm. "Are you sure you could take care of things back here just the three of you?"

                The leader of the Gundam pilots nodded. "Altron and Nova had enough speed to get to the colony faster than mine and Trowa's. And they would need Deathscythe's close combat skills. Zechs and Heero also have enough speed to intercept Relena's captives and between the two, they'll have enough chance to rescue her."

                "In the meantime, Trowa, Noin, Sally and I will have to hold our position here until we destroy the enemy attacking headquarters." Then his voice hardened. "So, I suggest we go for it before they catch on the plan."

                At first the others hesitated but slowly, Heero and Kylie first, realized that something changed in Quatre and identified what it was. "The Zero system! You're using the Zero system," said Duo. "Of all the stupid stunt.."

                "Roger that, Quatre," said Heero, before Duo could continue. He then fired on the left and Trowa joined him, saying, "I trust you."

                When the fighters on the left were destroyed, they were quickly replaced by others but Quatre, Noin, Zechs and Sally quickly engaged them, providing all the opening they need. "Now, guys. Go!" Quatre cried.

                "Copy that!" Kylie said, pushing the throttle forward as Nova made its way out of the madness with a speed none of their Gundams could best. Then, Altron followed Nova in hot pursuit while Deathscythe hesitated. "Don't get yourself all crazy, okay Quatre? Master the system," he advised, then he was gone.

                Quatre then began to launch the second phase of his strategy. But when the fighters saw that three of the Gundams had broken free, they were determined not to let it happen again. And without the other three, the other Gundams found themselves having more to juggle.

                Inside the cockpit, Quatre struggled to master the system. He registered Duo's last words to him but was too busy controlling himself to say a thing. He was feeling the same, terrible and yet wonderful feeling whenever he used the system. The wonderful feeling came when he felt he had the freedom to do the impossible and the terrible feeling came from something that was warning him about the system.

                Then he remembered something that he had forgotten long time ago. Something that happened after he had ran amok after using the Zero system. Something that Instructor H said when they were reunited.

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**After Colony 195**

                "Quatre, why are you here all alone? Is Heero giving you a hard time?" a voice asked, breaking through Quatre's troubled thoughts. He turned to see Instructor H, the man his father had given refuge to and smiled. He shook his head.

                "No, I rather think he and I are going along very well." He sighed. "I just feel I need to be alone," he said, returning his gaze on the other scientists who were working down there. He always felt that the catwalk was a good place to get solitude and he was right.

                Instructor H regarded his young pilot. When he had first trained the boy, he had never thought that this gentle pilot would get where he is today. His first impression of the boy's gentle nature was that it might hinder his development in becoming a perfect soldier. But years of training, he realized that his first impression had been wrong. That there was a lot more to this boy and the previous incident just proved it.

                "What is it, Quatre? Something's troubling you?" It was more a statement than a question. For a moment the boy was silent and then, Instructor H saw tears were gathering in his blue-green eyes.

                "They're blaming me, instructor. I know they are. And you too," he said, his voice sounded small. "It's my fault that Wing Zero fell into the enemy's hands. It was my fault that it existed. It was my fault that the colonists suffered and it's my fault that Trowa is missing."

                Instructor H nearly cried himself, hearing the pain and suffering in the boy's voice but he mustered up all his inner strength to say the next words. "Good," he said, but the boy's were too much in pain to acknowledge it. So, he put a hand on his shoulder and wiped a tear that ran down his cheek. "It is good that you were able to cry for the people that you killed."

                The boy looked at him, surprised. "The others and me, we didn't blame you for anything. Your actions just reminded us that you boys are still human, which is a good thing. If you had been the ideal perfect soldier, you will only live your life as a slave to war which is what we don't need."

                "But what they said…"

                "They are but human, Quatre. Even they didn't know what they were saying." He sighed as he looked away. "The reason why I chose you as my pilot was because you have the ability to be the heart of the team."

                "Heart of the team? What team? The Gundams?"

                Instructor H nodded. "Yes. I know that there would be a time when all of our pilots will come together and fight OZ as a team. With the others feeling that they should have perfect soldiers, I decided that we need someone to act as the heart of the team as well. That's why I chose you. Your kindness, your gentleness made me feel that you have the ability to bring all pilots together as a team."

                "And you proved that by appealing to your friends back on Earth to come back here in space."

                Quatre looked up. "You heard my transmission?"

                "Yes. That's why Doctor J was forced to give Lady Une our cooperation so you could live on and gather the Gundam pilots together again." He looked at the boy, seriously. "You have to do this, Quatre. Only you can lead them to victory. I know that and I think your friend Heero knows that too."

                "But how can I?"

                Instructor H patted his shoulder. "You'll find a way. Just stick with Heero and let him teach you a thing or two as you are teaching him right now," he said, nodded at Heero who was looking up at them. As Heero and Quatre were locked on a trustful gaze, Instructor H started to walk away.

                "And Quatre, there's only one way to master the system," he said as Quatre looked back at him, surprised. "Don't let the system control you. Don't let the system master you. You must learn to be its master." He paused. "You must let it flow with you."

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                "… let it flow, Quatre," said a voice that jarred him back to the present. He realized that was Heero, saying the same thing that Instructor H said to him three years ago and knew that it was the right thing to do. 

                So, he closed his eyes, letting the feeling flow through him like cold water. At first it tried to swallow him but quickly, Quatre searched for the center of his being and started to find the balance for everything. Then, it was over, as he felt something refreshing came into his being.

                He wiped the sweat that was trickling down his forehead and exhaled. "Thanks, Heero," he said. 'Thanks, Instructor,' he silently said as he began to assess the battle once more. Duo, Wu Fei and Kylie were already engaging the troop at the colony while Heero and the others were still defending the headquarters. Evaluating their predicament, Quatre started to make new strategy to get Zechs and Heero out.

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                When the aliens had started attacking, Relena was taken completely by surprise. Sitting beside her, she knew that Vincent was also wearing the same expression on his face. She turned to Celcie. "What's the meaning of this? I thought we had a deal?"

                To her surprise, Celcie took out a gun and trained it on her. "Settle down and enjoy the ride, Miss Relena." When Relena and Vincent refused to sit, she looked at them disgustedly. "Do you think that us Telrhani would put ourselves equal to the lower beings such as you?"

                Suddenly Vincent leapt at her, trying to get the gun. But Celcie, swatted him aside easily and shot him. Relena screamed and knelt by his side, checking his wound. Vincent winced as she touched the blood that was seeping through from a wound on his shoulder. "It's okay," he said. "It just grazed me."

                "That shot was to remind you that if you decide to do something stupid, I will inflict more pain than you could imagine," said the alien. She motioned for them to sit as Relena helped Vincent out. Looking at the battle behind them, Relena wished that Heero was there. Only he could get her out of any mess.

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                Despite of being able to break themselves away from the battle at MOV, Duo's team weren't doing any greater. Not only that they were forced to face the Mican trooper, the Mican warriors were also giving them a hard time. Although Wu Fei was using the Zero system, even he had his own limitations that forced Duo and Kylie to watch their own backs.

                In Nova, Kylie struggled to keep her temper in check. She knew that losing her focus would only shorten her life span and so she tried to handle K'Rin and Trecna with a cool head. But even her patience was wearing thin and she knew if she don't do anything now, she would be killed. And so, she flipped the comm button.

                "What is it, Little Fire?" asked Lady Une, concerned.

                Kylie didn't looked at her, her full attention was on her enemy around her. "Give me the password," she said, her voice cold. Demanding. The older woman looked away, still refused to give her access to the Zero system.

                "Give me the password, dammit! Before I do something we both regret," she shouted, the very thing she never did all her life. She had always been calm and cold but Lady Une's refusal was starting to bug her like nothing else.

                For a moment Lady Une looked at her and then resignation crashed on her like a tidal wave. "It's 14-15-22-1_ZERO," she answered as Kylie entered the password and braced herself for something to happen.

                It happened almost immediately. First the cockpit seemed to lit up as the image on the screen seemed to dance. Then, Kylie began to experience freedom, unlike anything she had ever felt before. A freedom that was never granted to her since the day she was born.

                Then she felt alive. She could see everything before her. Everything, including the battle that was taking place at the Preventer headquarters. She could see her twin brother and the rest of the team struggling to defeat the enemy. And she could see all the enemy around her, clearly. In fact, she knew who were her enemy and was so certain of it.

                Gundam Nova soared through the space, killing everything in sight. Its movements were too fast and too agile for any other alien fighters and Mican Trooper to get a good shot at her. Even K'Rin and Trecna found themselves unable to contain the wild maneuvers of the new Gundam. It was as if the Gundam was a newborn Pheonix, the bird of fire.

                Then, suddenly, something was trying to break down the wall Kylie had put in her mind a long time ago. Startled, she almost let it crumble but quickly held it in check. Then, her vision started to blur as images played in her mind.

                She had heard Heero telling her that the Zero system had the ability to show the future, telling the pilot his or her true enemy. Maybe this was her future. Maybe this vision could guide her through. In the vision, she saw herself and the others, fighting the enemy. In fact, she saw some of the Mican Warrior were killed by one or two of them. At that she felt triumph overwhelming her.

                Then, she saw the faces of the Gundam pilots and their allies. To her horror, they were all killed one by one by the Warleader with his own hands. Fear and hopelessness started to grip her as she tried to pray to end this nightmare.

                "Quatre!" she called out when she saw the blond pilot. He turned to her, as he smiled at her. Suddenly a shadow came and swallowed him whole. He cried in pain as she struggled to get to him, to save him at any cost. But soon, his cries died down as Kylie found herself on a meadow.

                "They're all gone, Kylie," said a voice. She turned to see Dorothy, standing over Quatre's grave. Then, the girl came to her and buried her head in her shoulder. "Quatre's gone from our lives."

                At first, Kylie tried to comprehend what she had just heard. Then realization hit her like a hammar. Dorothy Catalonia was in love with Quatre! And because of Kylie, he had let her lead him to his own destruction!

                Then and there, she closed her eyes. 'Please, let it all stop. I don't want to see it anymore,' she pleaded, for the first time in her life. Then, everything stood still.

Suddenly, she heard a cry. 'What? What was that?' she thought, looking around her. She found herself in the dark, darker than the night. For a moment, she wondered what happened to the battle. Why wasn't she seeing the enemy?

                She heard the cry again and when she turned towards it, she saw a little girl. The girl was on the floor, hugging herself. The room she was in was dark except for the faint illumination from the moon coming through the window and bathe over the girl. "Mommy!" said the girl, sobbing. She had buried her face between her legs so Kylie couldn't see her.

                Then, the girl looked up and for a moment something in her winter blue eyes mirrored the fire in Kylie's eyes. That was when Kylie realized something. "You're me!" she said, astonished. But the girl didn't hear her. Her only attention was focused on the figure that moved in the shadows.

                When the figure stepped into the light, Kylie found her fist clenched as rage was burning through her body. She realized then that the Zero system had unlocked something that was forgotten long time ago. Something of a great importance. Remembering everything, Kylie felt nothing but rage.

                "_I will kill you_!" she growled and started to pound him into a pulp. But the figure, a man, kept on disappearing and reappearing but still she continued to attack him. "Kill him! I got to kill him!" the words had a note of finality to it.

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                Duo fought like a madman. With just the three Gundams, they barely could hold off the alien fighters, Mican Trooper and the five Mican warrior. As soon as he got there, Wu Fei had immediately taken on Con'trai and Keil'n. Kylie was already fighting against K'Rin and Trecna which left Duo with S'Irai and the rest of the trooper and fighters.

                At first, he and Kylie weren't doing so good. But when Kylie activated the Zero system, she was able to handle the two Mican Warrior as well as helping Duo destroying the fighters. At that Duo was glad. That would only leave him with S'Irai and the troopers. He was beginning to say prayers to the god of luck when his world started to fall apart.

                "An enemy fleet attacking L2 colony point E," said the comm.

                "Where's their exact location?" Duo heard Quatre asked after a moment of silence. Then, the screen was filled with coordinates as terror struck Duo. "My god!" he breathe. "_Hilde_ is on that colony!" He quickly changed course, ignoring the fires coming from the enemy troopers and S'Irai. He also ignored what the others were saying. His mind was only on Hilde and her alone.

                As he made his way, his mind played on the last moments they were together. Their arguments, the harsh words he said to her. Then, a feeling of dread started to wash over him as thought came in. A thought that said that he would probably never see her again!

                "Hold on, Hilde. I'm coming."

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                When Duo broke away, Quatre was frustrated. Now it was even more dire for him and the others to break free. Not only they had to save Relena Darlian, but they also had to save the two colonies. He was sure that with the Zero system, Wu Fei and Kylie would be able to handle the four Mican Warriors and their fighters. But Duo, without the Zero system, could barely stand against K'Vai who was leading the assault on the L2 colony as well as S'Irai who was following him. And alone, he wouldn't stand a chance!

                "Quatre, give me a way out!" said Trowa, breaking his thought. He looked at Heavyarms.

                "Trowa, are you sure?"

                Trowa looked at where Duo was heading. "I know exactly how he feels. I've sent Catherine to that colony," he revealed, his voice barely hid the note of anxiety. Quatre nodded. "Okay, good luck." He said to the others. "Plans changed, everybody. Let distract the enemy long enough for Trowa to break through and then we concentrate on getting Heero out." Although he desperately want to get to Relena but the lives of the colonists were more important. And he knew, Relena and Heero would've wanted it. That was proven when Wing Zero started to attack his enemy at sight.

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                At last, Trowa broke through. Then he cranked up to Heavyarms' maximum speed to get to L2 as quickly as he could. He didn't feel any regret for sending Catherine to the colony. His main concern was to get there before it was too late. Too late to save Catherine or Duo or Hilde.

                But when he saw the smokes coming from the colony cluster, he immediately knew one thing. He was already too late!

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                "The place is secured," yelled Quatre over the destruction. "We can handle the rest. Go now, Heero!" he said to the pilot of Wing Zero. The prussian-eyed pilot nodded his thanks and set his new course.

                "Roger that, Quatre," he said then addressed Epyon. "I'll get her, Zechs. I swear it." Then, he was off.

                Suddenly, Lady Une appeared on the screen. "Quatre, I've just received a report from Wu Fei. Kylie is running amok! She couldn't control the Zero system and it had taken over her," she said, her voice was calm but there was a note of desperation in it.

                Shocked, Quatre was almost hit. He then ducked and tried to hail Kylie. When there was no answer, he contacted Wu Fei. "What happened?" he asked, his voice was a little shaky. His fear had came through and he didn't know what to do.

                "How should I know?" said Wu Fei, appearing on the screen. "When she first use the system, she was doing fine and we were starting to win. Then, K'Rin ordered her assault team for a retreat and I was thinking of backing up Trowa and Duo."

                "And?"

                "She wouldn't let them leave! She chased after the fleeing aliens to destroy them."

                Quatre was startled. "But that would put the lives of the captured slaves in jeopardy!"

                "I don't think she cared about that," said the Chinese pilot. "I'm taking off after her now to make sure she doesn't ended up killing innocent people." At that, Quatre glanced where Wing Zero was, wondering if Heero had heard the transmission. As an answer, Wing Zero suddenly changed course, heading towards where Kylie was last spotted.

                "Negative," said Quatre. "Go help Duo and Trowa." He turned to Epyon. "Zechs, go rescue Relena. We'll finish up here," he said. Without a word, Epyon left its position. Quatre turned his eyes back to where he thought Kylie was. 'Kylie, please control yourself.'

                As if sensing his dispair, Noin appeared on the screen. "Go, Quatre. Go to her," she said. He was startled, not able to comprehend what they were saying. Were they telling him to leave? Then he heard Sally's voice. "We can take care of things here ourselves. You must help Kylie before its too late."

                Feeling grateful, he nodded. "Thanks, you two." He charted his course and made his way where Kylie were. At the same time, he also tried to hail Nova. At first, all he got was silence but as he got nearer, he heard her saying, "Kill him. I got to kill him." Then, he saw her destroying the Mican trooper and fighting K'Rin.

                "What is she doing?" he wondered but was surprised when someone answered.

                "I don't know," said Heero, who was overseeing everything. "But I will not let her destroy herself in the process."

                Quatre was almost surprised to hear the conviction and determination in his voice. There was something strange in the way Heero talked about her. Something that sounded as if he cared deeply for her. Whatever it was, Quatre decided to put it aside and readied himself. "I agree. We must not let her do things she might regret later. She's battling too close to the slaveships."

                True enough, Kylie was too close to the group of slaveships. But she neither saw it or care about their well being. All she was concerned about was to kill the enemy before her at any cost. At any cost. "I will kill you all!" she shouted, slamming Nova against K'Rin's Mican suit. The two hit the outer shield of the slaveship. Stunned by the force, K'Rin didn't see Nova's beam lance swinging down at her.

                "No, Kylie!" said someone as Wing Zero slammed into Nova. The new Gundam were thrown off balance as Sandrock came in and steadied her. K'Rin took the moment to strike Wing Zero, fearing that he would attempt to rescue the slaves on the ship.

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                Trowa and Duo stared at the colony, disbelief. The colony was smoking as they almost see fires burning at every corner. The aliens' slaveship had already boarded the colony and was leaving with the colonists to be turned as slave to the Empire. For a moment, Trowa and Duo thought about the two people they love who were in the colony, wondering if they were alive or dead. And if they're in the slaveships.

                But neither thoughts gave them much comfort. Either way, the two of them would most likely lose their love ones if they don't do something about it now. Noticing that K'Vai's assault team were making their way towards them, Duo's anger flared. Purposefully, he tapped in the code to the Zero system as the cockpit fired up.

                "Watch out, you all 'cause you had just met the _real _Great Destroyer!"

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                Catherine looked up from what she was doing. She was certain that she felt something but it took her a moment to figure out what it was. When she heard a groan, Catherine quickly turned her attention back to the person in her arms. "Hold on, Hilde. Just hold on," she said, gently.

                Once Catherine had gotten to Duo's house, she had managed to persuade Hilde not to move out and leave him. She advised her to wait until the war was over so they both could talk things over, clearly. When the aliens attacked, leaving L2 then seemed like a great idea but the process of evacuation was slowed due to the panicking colonists.

                When the news reached them that the aliens had boarded, Hilde had the craziest idea to hold them off while the officials continued the evacuation. She had told Catherine to go with the others but the circus girl was determined to stay by her side because of her promise to Trowa.

                And so, while the evacuation was underway, Hilde and a few Preventer agents that were stationed there fought off the aliens bravely as they were gathering slaves. There were also former OZ-Alliance soldiers taking part in defending the colony but all fell against the more powerful aliens. Hilde herself was shot when she was trying to save an old lady.

                Since she had no skill in combat, Catherine helped with the evacuation process. But when the aliens finally taken over the remaining colonists, she found herself among the prisoners too. She quickly looked for Hilde and found her being tended for a serious heart wound.

                "He's coming, isn't he?" said the younger girl, smiling weakly. "My Duo is coming for me." She grimaced.

                "Shh…" said Catherine, holding her close to provide her with much warmth. "Yes, Duo's coming. And Trowa too. I can feel them," she said, trying to lift the girl's spirit to fight on. But Hilde seemed to be losing consciousness from the blood loss.

                "Tell him," she gasped. "Tell him that I'm so sorry. Tell him that I love him."

                Catherine felt tears of desperation starting to pour down. But quickly she held it for the girl's sake. She had to be strong. "No. _You_ tell him yourself. It wouldn't be the same if he didn't hear it from you."

                Hilde grinned, weakly as blood started to trickle down her lips. "I guess, you're right," she gasped, struggling to speak. "That fool would probably have something annoying to say to me so he could make me crazy." Then, her eyes rolled up as she lost consciousness.

                Catherine looked up. 'Trowa. Where are you?'

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                Sandrock struggled to maintain its hold on Nova but Kylie seemed intent to get herself free. "Kylie, please. You're among friends," Quatre pleaded but she ignored it. All she said was, "I will kill him. He's my enemy. I will kill you all!" Then, Sandrock's hold started to weaken and she thrown him off. Charging her beaming lance, she began to take a swing at Sandrock.

                "No, Kylie!" said Heero, breaking off his battle with K'Rin to concentrate on his twin sister. "If you kill him, you will be sorry for the rest of your life." Hoping that the bond of twins were strong as he once read, he concentrated on the images of her with the other Gundam pilots.

                For a moment, Nova hesitated. Its hold on the lance started to weaken. "Heero?" said a tiny voice. Then, Kylie started to snap into reality as she realized what she was going to do. She threw the lance away in disgust. "What have I done?"

                "You lost control over the Zero system," Heero answered.

                For a moment, there was silence. When she spoke next, her voice was steady and normal, cold. "I'm sorry," she said, picking up the lance and put it away. She looked at the retreating aliens. "I'm very sorry. It would never happen again."

                "That's okay," said Quatre, noticing that his knuckles was white. "It wasn't entirely your fault. The Zero system did the same to all of us." He smiled for her sake. Kylie nodded and then turned her attention towards where Relena was.

                Switching off to a private band to Wing Zero, she said, "I'm sorry that we failed to save Relena." Heero looked at where Epyon was heading only to see the red Gundam heading towards them, in defeat. Regret and frustration were starting to overwhelm him but he decided to concentrate on the matter at hand. He will save Relena later. Now, there's an even more important thing.

                "Don't worry," said Kylie, answering his unvoiced question. "I'm alright."

                Quatre glanced at the report of the other battle. "We need to help Duo and the others."

                "I'm on it," said Zechs, who was intent to make the aliens pay for kidnapping his sister. They then saw Epyon entering the battle.

                Nova started to move. "Me too," said Kylie, preparing for a battle.

                "No," said Heero. "Return to base and rest. You've went through quite enough for the day." He turned to Sandrock. "And you too, Quatre. You have just mastered the system after a long time without it, so it could be a little draining for you. You need to get some rest too. The Zero system is very dangerous when you're too tired. That's when it could gain control of you. Don't worry, we'll handle the rest."

                Quatre was tempted to protest but remembering the state Kylie was in, he decided that he should tend to her first. Wishing Heero luck, he led Kylie back to the Preventer headquarter.

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                Duo and Trowa fought like a pair of mad man. Each were trying to hard to get to the last slaveship leaving the colony, believing that their love ones were in it. Wu Fei had joined them a few minutes ago and was handling K'Vai, S'Irai and the Mican troopers while Duo and Trowa fought their way through the sea of alien fighters and some of the Mican troopers. But they still couldn't get near the last slaveship.

                Desperation was starting to break their spirits. Even with the Zero system, they still couldn't destroy the enemy. If not the Zero system, what else? As the two were starting to doubt their skills and abilities, they heard a voice. "Incoming!"

                Then, Heero and Zechs appeared, helping Wu Fei out with K'Vai and S'Irai. A few miliseconds later, two white Tauruses joined Duo and Trowa in destroying the annoying alien fighters. "Get to the slaveship quickly. Sally and I will handle these rejects," said Noin.

                Seeing an opening, Trowa and Duo quickly took the chance. The slaveship started to fire its own cannon but they quickly destroyed it. A second later, the two of them were docking in the docking bay and were firing shots at the slave guards.

                Then there was an explosion as the slaveship shook. For a second, Duo and Trowa exchanged glances when their comm chimed and they heard Heero's voice. "I've disabled the ship's engine. It is at dead stop so I believe we've taken over the ship." He paused. "I suggest you see to the prisoners."

                Both silently thanked Heero, knowing that the Wing Zero pilot knew that Hilde and Catherine were among the prisoners. As they made their way to the prisoner hall, Trowa managed to ask the status of the other slaveships. At first there was silence but when Heero spoke, his voice sounded different.

                "No go. The other prisoners are too far out of reach. We lost them," he said but Trowa, who had knew him better than any pilot, could detect the pain in his voice. Relena Darlian was among those who lost to him too.

                When they got to the prisoner hall, Duo quickly made his way through the crowd, searching for Hilde. Trowa threw aside his concern for Catherine and announced, "Don't worry, we've taken over the ship. You're all safe."

                Their relief was Trowa's only reward. But then, he heard someone calling his name and he quickly made his way towards it. "Catherine!" he shouted, seeing her on the floor. She rose and ran into his arms, relieving her fear of not seeing him again. "Are you alright?" he asked, checking her over. She nodded and then shook her head, slowly. "Hilde isn't," she said.

It was then Trowa noticed that Duo was holding Hilde in his arms. The Deathscythe quickly looked at him, his eyes were desperate. "We could still save her. I'm taking her back to headquarter in Deathscythe," he said, picking Hilde up.

                Trowa nodded. "Go, Duo. I'll secure everything here." Without letting him finishing his sentence, Duo was already running.

                Suddenly Catherine cried. All the fear, the terrible things she saw was starting to overwhelm her. Never had she been so afraid in her entire life. Never. Trowa held his shaky sister, letting her cry her fear out but she pushed herself away to look at him.

                "It was terrible, Trowa. I've never seen anything like this. They purposely killed the old and weakest like this sick old man I was trying to protect. They have no mercy in their conscious," she said, suddenly her eyes widened as she remembered something. "The circus! Manager and the others, all of them were there!"

                "There?" Trowa quoted. "There as in with you?"

                Catherine nodded. "Yes. They came when they know I was there, saying that we should stay close. Manager was worried he might lose me too." She looked at him, desperately. "Save them, Trowa. Save our only family," she pleaded, then buried her face in his shoulder as he held her.

                Then, Catherine went limp in his arms. Seeing that she had passed out from the stress, he lifted her up and whispered, "I will save them, sis. I swear it." His voice held the same determination when he had planned to self-destruct the first time on Earth. "I swear it."

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                Lady Une was there when Sandrock and Nova returned. The battle at L2 had just ended a few minutes ago and the other Gundams were returning. It was a miserable battle. Not only did the aliens managed to snatch Relena Darlian and Vincent Dupree, they also managed to take some of the colonists prisoners. Although it was only a small number compared to the other abductions, it was still an unpleasant number. And the bad news that just came from Earth told her that the aliens had won this round successfully.

                She watched as the cockpit swung open and Treize's former charge jumped down. But she didn't land so nimbly as she would, so she ended up fallen to her knees as her legs buckled. As Lady Une was running towards her, she saw Quatre Winner helped her up, supporting the girl's weight on his shoulder. But he was also too weak that _both_ of them ended on the floor.

                When the head of Preventer reached them, Quatre was asking Kylie if she's alright. Concerned for the welfare of Treize's adopted daughter, she turned to one of her agents. "Quick! Call the medics."

                "No!" Kylie gasped. She looked at Quatre. "Help me to my room," she requested. Without looking at the older woman, she said, "I just need some time alone." Lady Une watched them go as an agent came to her and informed her of the return of Gundam Deathscythe.

                As soon as Duo came into view, she saw him carrying a body. Quickly, she repeated her order for a medic as Duo leapt down. She went to him and saw Hilde Schbeiker in his arms. "Don't worry, the medics are on the way," she said, keeping her voice calm. She had known the young woman and thought her as a very remarkable young soldier a few years back. And she was glad that the young woman was involved with one of the Gundam pilots.

                Duo didn't say anything as the medic busied themselves with the patience. But his thoughts were in turmoil. The tiny soul inside him kept on saying, 'Please hold on, Hilde. Don't leave me. I can't live without you.' But deep down, he felt as if a hollow feeling was filling his every being.

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                Relena and Vincent stepped into the bridge. In the middle of the room, they saw a familiar man sitting on a seat. He had his back on them but when their captive, Celcie spoke next, they realized that the man was the Warleader himself. "Miss Relena, Warleader."

                "You've done a very commendable job, Sira," he said, turning to face them.

                Relena took a step forward. "Why did you attack my people? We had a deal, didn't we?" she said, her voice hard. "I demand you return the captured colonists now." Her expression was so severe that she surprised Vincent.

Warleader Varishk raised his eyebrow. "You, Relena Darlian are in no position to make demands," he said, his voice was soft but held a hint of power in it. "However, since you being one of the most influential figure among your people, you will have the right to enjoy our hospitality." He turned to Sira. "Bring them to the room where we're keeping our special guest. Maybe he'd like their company better than ours."

                With that, Sira took them along endless hallways. As they walked, Relena and Vincent wondered who was the other guest. But when they got to the room, they were both shocked. "Mr. President! What are you doing here?" asked Relena, seeing the face of a man she usually worked with. Vincent was just speechless.

                "Relena, Vincent," said the President of ESUN. "I'm afraid they're going to use us to ensure total control of our race. We're going to be the cause of the downfall of humankind."

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                "They got the President? When?" asked Quatre. The rest of the occupants of the room were also wearing the same surprised expression as he did. Some even shook their heads in defeat while some were wearing angry expressions. Those who were angry were Heero, Zechs and Wu Fei as they thought of it as their failure of the day. 

As soon as the Gundam pilots returned, Lady Une held an emergency meeting to inform her officers of the latest development and to discuss their next move. Still, among those present, there were still those who weren't there. Trowa and Duo were absent, looking after their love ones and Kylie couldn't be found. Despite his fatigue, Quatre had come to the meeting, insisting that he should learn of the latest development and to contribute all he could.

                But this was definitely beyond his help, Lady Une knew. The capture of the ESUN's President and Vice Foreign Minister would leave mankind vulnerable because of the lack of capable leaders to bring them together. Even by putting all hope on the Gundam pilots would not be enough. They had their limitations and their previous battles showed that that was true.

                "Now, the search continues to locate the whereabouts of the President's granddaughter, Anne. We believed that the alien who has the girl is in hiding in the nearby towns," Lady Une continued, after the shock settled in. "I'm going to send a team down to locate them before the girl is beyond our help." Then she added, softly, "It's the least we could do."

                "I disagree," said a voice suddenly. All of them turned to Wu Fei who had rose from his seat. "Send me, instead. I know who got the girl, from your descriptions and I know how she worked."

                Lady Une regarded him. "Are you sure, Wu Fei? This Mylin could have others working with her. You would require back up."

                "Sending back up would only slow me down," said Wu Fei. "I work best alone. Besides, she and I have a score to settle."

                She nodded. "Alright. But made sure you set your priorities straight. You are to get the girl to safety not to engage in a duel that could endanger the girl's life. She's been through enough already."

                As his answer, Wu Fei nodded and left. Then, Lady Une turned to regard the others to discuss their next move.

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                Quatre walked along the hallway, searching. The meeting ended shortly after Wu Fei left as the rest of them couldn't think of any other way to change the circumstances to their favor. Heero had immediately left, saying that he had no skill for politics while Quatre had stayed on to help. But he soon learned that he, despite his influence on the colonists, had little to offer.

                So, when Lady Une called the meeting adjourned, he found himself looking for Kylie. He was worried about her and when he looked for her at her room, she wasn't there. Now, he was walking towards the infirmary to see if she was there and to check on Trowa and Duo.

                He found Trowa first. The Heavyarms pilot was sitting next to the bed, waiting for Catherine to wake up. He had a rather serious look o his face that Quatre decided not to disturb him. Then, he found Duo next, sitting and staring at Hilde's face. Quatre had learned that the girl suffered from a serious heart injury that the medic doubted her recovery. 

                But when Quatre saw the look on Duo's face, it got him prayed that the medics prove wrong. There was a look on Duo's face that never existed before. The look of pain and comtempt. His eyes had a wildness that was never there before. It was then he realized that Duo would never be the same person from that day on. That what happened to Hilde left an eternal mark deep in his soul.

                Next, he headed towards the hangar, hoping Kylie were there since he had searched the entire base. But to his disappointement, she wasn't there as well. Not knowing what to do then, Quatre went to Sandrock and ran a damage report.

                To his joy, Sandrock suffered little damage due to the Zero system. It was then he realized that his decision to use it was in fact the right one. Then, wiping the sweat that was trickling down his forehead, Quatre began to work on the repairs, his thoughts filled with the previous incidents.

                He jumped when there was a noise. He turned and saw Dorothy looking down at him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," she said.

                "That's okay," he said. "What are you doing here?"

                "I saw you in here a few hours ago. When you missed dinner, I thought I should bring it over for you," she answered, motioning the steaming tray on the table. "It's not good to work with your stomach empty, you know." She smiled.

                Quatre chuckled. "Tell that to Kylie. She wouldn't take a moment to eat unless I make sure she does," he said. At the mention of the other girl's name, Dorothy's face paled. But he was too busy eating to notice it. After swallowing a gulpful of water, he looked up at her. "It's been a long time since we had talked. Care to fill me up what you were up to?" He patted on the empty place next to him.

                At first Dorothy hesitated, well aware that he's someone else's lover. But realizing that maybe Quatre needed the company, she sat down next to him. Putting aside her longing feelings, they began to talk as old friends would.

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                It was raining but still Kylie kept on. Right then, she had never felt so lost, so confused and so vulnerable. Her experience with the Zero system had opened a few forbidden doors of memory and probability that left her confused, ashamed and most of all, angry.

                Heero had told her that the Zero system would show her a possible future among many. That she could accept. But somehow, the Zero system did something even more to her. It had opened and revealed to her things that she had long ago forgotten. Things that were too dreadful for her to remember when she was small, that she locked them away. Things that made her yearned for the day that she would finally had her revenge.

                Then, came the vision of their deaths. She was well aware that they're fighting a losing battle against the Telrhani. And she was ready to accept that her future was to die in the battle. Especially now that she remembered the lost memory and felt dirty by it.

                But what she could not accept was the future of her twin brother and Quatre. And the others. That made her set a goal not to let anything happen to them, even at the cost of her life. "I swear to god that I will never let death touch you guys. Never," she sworn to herself. "Even if I should die in the process."

                As she said those words, she immediately knew that she will die. And she was glad if her death would mean the others' survival.

                As she continued to walk, minding the rain that was drenching her body, she looked up. There she stopped. "Heero," she said, wondering if he had heard her. But her brother didn't give her the slightest hint that he did. Instead, he looked at her as surprised.

                Kylie looked into his eyes carefully and knew he was very upset at losing Relena to the Telrhani. And somehow he was blaming himself for his failure.

                "Let's go home," said Heero after a moment. He too was drenched as she was, although he was carrying an umbrella in his hand. Kylie almost pointed that out but decided not to as the twin walked back to the docking bay in silence. Neither was willing to express what he or she was thinking. All they needed the most then, was each other's company.

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                When Kylie was walking towards her room, she found that Lady Une was there waiting. The older woman perked up when she saw her. "Where have you been all night?" she asked but not really expecting an answer. "You're wet!" The former assasin looked at her and shrugged.

                "It was raining," she said, going into her room.

                "Kylie," said Lady Une, stopping her. "There's someone inside that wants to see you." The girl raised her left eyebrow questioningly and entered. There, she froze. The person who were waiting was just a little girl. But from the look in her eyes, she seemed older than her real age. Someone who had experience so many things in her short time in life. Someone Kylie herself was starting to get to know of.

                "Mariemaia," she said the name. The little girl smiled and hugged her legs.

                "I'm so glad to see you again, Kylie," said the girl looking up.

                Kylie looked away. "What are you doing here? This is not the safest place for you," she said, walking into the room as the door slid close. Now, it was only her and the little girl whom she almost left to be killed by Heero.

                "It's not safe anywhere," said Mariemaia, sitting on her bed. She looked at her sister. "I just need to see you once more."

                "Why?"

                She looked down at her hands. "I just want to say that I'm sorry. I feel terrible for trusting Dekim over you. I should've known," she said, regret was clearly evident in her voice. When she looked up, her eyes were filled with tears. "You must've hate me now."

                Kylie's eyes softened. She knelt before the girl. "Mariemaia, I don't hate you. I could _never _hate you. It was all Dekim's fault. He's the one who has been filling you with hate. If anything, it should be my fault for not knowing about you sooner and save you from that man."

                "Then, if you don't hate me, why didn't you come back to us?" she asked. "We really miss you at Christmas."

                At that, Kylie almost reached out to hug her but realizing that she was still wet, she didn't. "It's not that I don't want to," she said, surprised by how gentle she could be. "It's just that there's so many things I have to atone for."

                She titled the girl's chin. "But this I promise. If I make through this alive, I will come and visit you."

                "Really?"

                "Yes." She looked at Mariemaia, Treize's own flesh and blood and only heir. "I will."

Mariemaia nodded as she wiped the tears away. She looked at her sheepishly, "Are you ever going to change? You're all wet." 

Kylie smiled at that but still she didn't move to get a change. Instead, she waited until Mariemaia excused herself and left the room. As she watched her leave, Kylie felt a warm feeling overwhelming her cold body. She didn't know what kind of game fate was playing her but she was glad that she had found a surrogate family that she had grown to love, and her only real family that was now part of her soul. And also someone whom she love with everything she got. Still thinking of Mariemaia, she added her into the list of the people she must protect. People she was determined to die for.

                As she started to undress herself, she caught a glance at the mirror. Again, rage, confusion and shame started to resurface as she remembered what was done to her years ago. She stared at the ugly features on her body, the scars that mark her weakness and realized that those she love didn't deserve to know her pain. That she's intent to keep her suffering to herself until the day she die.

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	9. Chapter 9: The Hunt

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!☺

**TIMELINE:** The story mostly takes place after Endless Waltz. To be more precise, one year after Endless Waltz. That means two years after my very own Treize's Revenge series.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST IX: THE HUNT. 

By Arayelle Lynn.

                The rain was pouring down heavily as two figures staggered out from the darkness into an opening. After making sure that no one was around, they quickly made their way towards the old and abandoned building. One of them yanked one of the planks, which was boarding the entrance, loose and pushed her little companion through.

                Then she stepped in and after a last look at the world outside, she let out a sigh of relief and turned to regard her little companion. "We should be safe here," she said, as her companion stared up at her, eyes wide with fear. "Should be safer than out there, at least," she muttered as she began to explore the building which they had just taken refuge.

                "Why are we here? Where's grandpa?" asked her companion, shivering.

                Mylin spared a glance at the girl. She didn't know how to break the news that her grandpa, the President of Earth Sphere Unified Nation, had been captured by the aliens, her kind. "He's not here, little girl," she answered, realizing that although they had travelled for a day together, she still hadn't acquired the girl's name. "But we must hide ourselves from those who took him."

                "But weren't you with them? Aren't you one of the aliens?" asked the girl.

                At that, Mylin was speechless. Why _was _she helping this girl? This human, who was supposedly her inferior? Pushing the troubling thoughts away, she answered, "That's not important right now." Then she noticed that the girl was shaking from the cold. Quickly, she began the task of finding a suitable material to burn with. 

A few moments later, she had a fire burning big enough for them to keep themselves warm. But somehow, she herself felt little warmth. "We will rest here for the night. Then we will find a way to…" as she was saying that, her world started to spin. Her legs buckled under her and she pushed out her arm to break her fall.

                Concerned, the girl ran to her, supporting her as she tried to lean against the wall. Looking down, Mylin pulled away her left hand, which was holding the lower part of her abdomen. The girl gasped as she saw a large red stain. "You're hurt," said the little girl.

                Mylin almost laughed at the statement. She had known about it ever since the bullet went into her. That had been hours ago when they stumbled upon the Telrhani ground troops. They didn't take lightly of her betrayal so they opened fire at the first second they saw her. And they didn't even care if they hit the little girl.

                When they managed to lose them, Mylin didn't have time to assess how bad she was hit. Her main concern had been to find a place they can hide for a few days. And then find a way to hand the girl over to the proper authorities, safely.

                Now, seeing that her wound was a little more serious than she had rated, she wondered if she could survive the night. Looking at the girl carefully, she gasped, "First thing tomorrow, I want you to go to the nearest place where you can find a way to contact the Preventers. They should be able to take care of you." Feeling her consciousness slipping away, Mylin welcomed the following darkness.

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                The mood in the Preventer headquarter was somewhat somber and quiet. Hilde Schebeiker was still hanging on thin lines as Duo Maxwell hardly left her side, Zechs Merquise hardly said a word since his sister, Relena Darlian was kidnapped and Lady Une was still trying to keep the capture of the Vice Foreign Minister from the public, fearing of causing a state of panic. The only ones who knew about the capture of Relena and Vincent Dupree were the head representatives of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. And in addition to the President's kidnapping, they were very displeased.

                Heero Yuy and Trowa Barton had immediately set out work on locating Relena. They knew that the aliens had a large fleet and it was dire for them to know which ship was holding the two most important people before they set out a mission to rescue them. Quatre Winner had to resume his duty as ambassador of the colonies for a few days to reassure the space delegates, who knew the real situation, that the Preventers were doing everything they can to locate the missing President and Vice Foreign Minister.

                As for news from Wu Fei, there was none, as expected. But Lady Une knew that he's still tracking the Telrhani spy and had every confidence in him to find her and rescue the President's granddaughter. However, duties in the headquarters resumed as usual. Her agents were also working hard to locate weaknesses in the enemy's defense and also working to find out more about the Telrhani. Howard was overseeing the repairs of the Gundams and the other mobile suits, with Kylie Rayden watching them like a hawk. She and Mariemaia seemed to be getting along fine, though a little awkward.

                Remembering Mariemaia, Lady Une sighed. The girl had went through things that other adults had never experienced in their lifetimes. First, she was the only daughter of a very powerful man and only to rise as the chief representative of colony X18999 at five! She was supposed to rise as the ruler of Earth Sphere but only to be defeated by the Gundams and reduced to nothing more than a normal child.

                For that Lady Une was grateful. Mariemaia will have the chance to grow up as normal a girl as she could, compared to how she herself was brought up a few years ago, in the middle of the crisis. Then, concern gripped at her. She was worried about how the President's grandchild was holding up.  She had never been exposed to any danger before and all these terrible happenings might affected her deeply. Looking away, Lady Une prayed that this war would not create another Mariemaia Khushrenada.

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                Her eyes fluttered open when she heard a noise. She almost sat up immediately, only to feel a sharp pain went through her. So, she lied back down and closed her eyes, trying to rid of the lingering pain that was caused by her own stupidity.

                It was then, she sensed rather than see, something moved next to her. Quickly, she opened her eyes. A pair of blue eyes looked down on her. "Are you feeling alright?" a tiny voice asked. It was then, Mylin remembered what happened. Looking over herself, she realized that a piece of cloth was tied around her waist, stopping the bleeding. There's also a big dirty piece of cloth, which was spread over her body.

                "You did this?" she asked the little girl, finding her voice sounded so strange.

                The girl nodded, biting her lips. "I saw it on tv. They stopped a bleeding with a piece of cloth pushed against the wound. I tried to hold on to it but I was too tired so I tore another piece of cloth to tied it around you so it wouldn't fall off." She then pointed at a corner where the window is. "I pulled the curtain to use as a blanket in case you were cold." She looked at her, seeking for approval.

                Mylin closed her eyes as she swallowed. Her lips were parched despite the cold night before. "Why?" she asked, softly. The girl looked at her, confused. "Why did you help me? My kind is an enemy of yours. Why did you just run away and escape?"

                At first the girl looked at her, confused by her question. To a child's eyes, she didn't see the significance of racial differences in this matter. And so, her answer held a simple meaning to it. "Because grandpa always said that we must help those who are in need. No matter what they do to you, you should show your compassion instead of hatred. If not, how will we ever find peace in our lives?"

                "Compassion?" Mylin quoted. "What is that?"

                The girl frowned. "You don't know? Everybody knows what compassion is. It's an act of mercy showed to those who are weak. It's a greater act of kindness."

                At that Mylin was startled. Again she had to remind herself that although she knew a little about these humans, there were some things that were alien and unacceptable to her. And this was the first time she had heard the word. Her people hadn't known about compassion. It never existed. And kindness were very scarce and rare found in her people. If there's any type of kindness Mylin knew, it was kindness to those of their equal. Not to the weak. Those who were weak would never be granted kindness, no matter how pathetic they seem. If they could not contribute to the rising of their masters, they would be immediately discarded, killed.

                But now this girl, this human, was telling her that compassion was the foundation of the peace for their race. That through compassion and kindness, they were able to get rid of the misery and sorrow of those who were weak. As Mylin were thinking, she wondered about many things. How did her own race judged themselves as superior where there were still things that they don't know about? Things that they can learn from these humans? And maybe things they could've learned from the other races they've enslaved?

                Feeling the dizziness coming back, Mylin let her thoughts vanished and looked at the girl. Then, a moment of sorrow went through her. If only her people had known about compassion, then, her little sister would still be alive by now. Pushing back the feeling, she said, "Thank you, little girl. Let me rest a few moment and we'll see about getting our stomachs filled." She smiled, reassuringly.

                The girl smiled back, obviously pleased. "I never catch your name, girl," said Mylin, tired of calling the girl nameless.

                "I'm Anne," she answered. "Mary Anne. I was named after my mother."

                Mylin smiled. "I'm Mylin." They shook hands, forming a bond that none could break, not even the fact that they belonged to two different and obviously battling races.

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                She opened her eyes, confused by the bright light at first but as the memory of the previous ordeal came back to her, she looked around her. It was then, she felt something heavy resting on her left arm. She looked at it as her bewildered expression softened.

                Without much of a sound, she raised her right arm, surprised how weak it felt and touched the brown hair gently. At her touch, the head stirred and then suddenly flew up, revealing a surprised and happy face. "You're alive!" he shouted.

                Hilde grimaced as his voice rang through her ears. "Shh… not so loud, Duo. I'm having one major headache."

                At that he quickly sat on her bed, looking at her concernedly. "I'm sorry," he said, with regrets Hilde never heard before. "I'm sorry for what I've done to you. I'm sorry for the fights we had. I'm sorry for saying those things to you. I'm sorry for not treating you as you deserve." He paused. "And I'm most sorry for not seeing how important you are to me. It took the aliens to made me realized that I could've lost you forever. So, please don't leave me. I love you."

                "Duo," said Hilde, not knowing what to say at this new side of him. A side he had never showed her. Then, seeing the pain in his eyes, she reached out and hugged him. "Don't worry, I will always be by your side. And I love you too."

                Duo stared at her, in the eye. "Do you really?" he asked, his face serious. It was then Hilde noticed how tired and pale he looked. He must've lost a lot of sleep to wait for her. She nodded. "With all my heart, Duo. That's all what I want to hear from you since the first time we're together. For you to tell me that you love me," she confessed, feeling all the tension left her.

                "Why don't if I do more than that?" asked Duo.

                Hilde frowned, still feeling lightheaded. "What do you mean, Duo?"

                Gently, Duo took her hand. "Will you marry me?"

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                Heero watched as confusion played on Hilde's face. Then, it was replaced by a look of surprise as she finally began to comprehend what was happening. For a moment, she didn't say a thing, just staring into the eyes of the person she had grown to love all these years.

                Then, something showed her that she indeed has a future with him and nodded. "Yes, Duo Maxwell. I would be glad to."

                That brought back a laughter that was lost a few days ago. Duo reached out and kissed Hilde right there and then. But when they parted, both looked away in embarassment as neither had ever done that before.

                In the shadows of the hallway, Heero backed away. His mind was made up and he was ready to go. For days, he, Trowa and the Preventers had worked all day and night to determine the location of Relena and her two companions. Although they still had yet to pinpoint her exact location, Heero knew enough about the fleet to find her by himself. His only concern was, how to get to the fleet without detection?

                One problem was solved. Howard had his engineers working to repair the alien shuttle that the prisoners had escaped in with help from Quatre and Kylie. Lady Une's main plan was to set a team to infiltrate the Telrhani fleet and rescue the prisoners, though Heero felt he work even better alone.

                He headed towards the docking bay, where the alien shuttle was stored as he gone through his plan. He had confided with Trowa before this and knew the taller pilot knew that he was determined to go alone. He had wished Heero luck and promised him to take care of the others.

                But when Heero got into the cockpit, he realized that he wasn't alone. Someone else was in the pilot seat. And that someone had prepped the shuttle and was ready to go. "It's my duty to protect her as well, you know," said Kylie, knowing exactly what he was going to ask. "I made a promise to Treize I would protect her and help you Gundam pilots."

                He looked at her as she stared back at him. For a moment, the twins were locked in a stubborn gaze. Then, Heero settled down on the co-pilot seat. "I suppose you know how to drive this thing?"

                "I escaped in one of these, remember?" she reminded, as her answer.

                "And Quatre?"

                She looked ahead. "Quatre will have to take care of himself until I return," she answered, her tone mirrored her brother's. Then, without any hesitation, they launched.

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                Relena looked up as a strange feeling went through her. For a moment that feeling lingered as she tried to grasp the meaning behind it. But the more she tried, the more it slipped away. Then, the thought of a pair of prussian blue eyes came into her mind as wondered what was Heero planning at this moment.

                Knowing Heero, she knew that he would not rest as long as she was in captivity. She knew he wouldn't rest if he thought she's in danger. And since Heero was a person full of surprises, Relena was certain that he would find a way to rescue her and the others.

                She sighed. That wasn't the problem. She had let herself being captured so easily because she wanted to talk to these aliens. To forge a friendship with them so that the two races could live together in peace. But the Warleader had refused her request to see him. And Relena was starting to feel discouraged. Starting to feel that there was no use to all of this. However, Vincent kept her going.

                Looking at the sleeping figure across her, she smiled. She was touched by his support and trust in her. He didn't have to endanger himself by coming with her but he did. And Vincent had been more than supportive, he was also the one who had given her the strength to fight on this seemingly losing battle. Relena was glad that he was there for her. She felt even luckier that he was her friend.

                As Relena stared at him, she suddenly felt a warm feeling generated inside her. When Vincent was asleep, he had this peaceful look on his face, as if nothing mattered. And by just looking at his handsome face, Relena was reminded of the boy whom she befriended with years ago. The boy whom she had a crush on as a child.

                And then, she remembered how she felt having him so close. The strength of his arm when he held her, to protect her from danger. The way his face reflected the deep concern for her. She remembered especially how his smile gave her the reassurance that everything will be alright. He reminded her of the time when she felt the same thing, a few years ago. The feelings that surfaced whenever Heero was with her.

                Suddenly, she remembered what Heero said to her. That Vincent was the perfect man for her. Remembering that, she gasped. She hadn't thought about her crush for a long time. And now that she was looking at Vincent the same way she had looked at him a few years ago, she began to wonder if there's any wisdom in Heero's words.

                But then, what about her feelings for Heero Yuy?

                Her musings were interrupted by the clanking sound. The door was opened as Vincent and the President started to rise, awakened from their slumber. From the mouth of the only entrance and exit, Sira appeared. "Get up," she said, without any words of greeting.

                A moment later, they were ushered into the bridge, where Warleader Varishk was waiting. He regarded them. "I hope you're satisfied with the accommodation, humans," he said. "It might be your last if you don't cooperate."

                "I'd like to speak with you," said Relena, making her way towards him. Then, something hit her from behind and she found herself on the floor. Vincent, seeing that Sira was going to hit her again, ran to defend Relena only to be kicked by the other guards.

                The Warleader raised his arm, signaling for them to stop. "It won't do having them unpresentable to the public, will it?" he said, as Relena and the President made their way to Vincent. The President looked up, his eyes burning.

                "What do you want us to do?"

                Varishk smiled. "Nothing. Just for you to do what you're good at. Being a good prisoners," he said, looking at the three of them. His evil smile widened, telling them that he was planning something bad. "It's time for you to appear before your people."

                He signaled his officer at the communication console. When the transmission was connected, he began, "Humans, as you might remember, I am Warleader Varishk of the Telrhani. Your refusal to surrender had forced in a worst case scenario. Observe." He stepped aside, revealing his three prisoners. "I have your President as well as your infamous Vice Foreign Minister Darlian. They're unharmed as you can see and will remain so if you obey our demands."

                "Surrender yourself to the ruling of His Supreme Emperor. Let us have no further bloodshed to this useless retaliation," he continued. "And hand over the Gundam pilots to us for they've committed the worst kind of crime against the Empire, by killing His Supreme's loyal servants. Spare yourself from the fate that these Gundam pilots will suffered."

                He paused. "You have one day to make your decision, humans. Either way, you will serve the Empire. It's just the matter of saving your love ones from death by this useless retaliation." With that he signaled the officer to cut the transmission as he returned to his 'guests'

                "Thank you for your cooperation," he said, well aware of the hateful looks he was getting. Then he signaled Sira to take them away.

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Kylie glanced at Heero when the transmission ended. "You know what this mean, don't you?"

                Heero didn't say anything. He stared ahead and then nodded. "The people would feel defeated. The Preventers would be held responsible." He glanced at her. "It's up to us now."

                "Naturally," she said as she continued to fly towards the Telrhani fleet. Right then, they knew they couldn't afford to lose.

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                When the transmission ended, the headquarter was thrown into a state of chaos. Many calls came in from the representatives, who didn't know what had transpired. Since the transmission appeared in all public vidlink, chaos was everywhere as the people were panicking due to this surprising turn of events. Now that the President and the Vice Foreign Minister were captured, they lost all hope for victory.

                Lady Une was in an emergency meeting with the ESUN representatives in, demanding her explanations. Quatre was also there, supporting her answers and reassuring the representatives that they're doing everything they can to rescue all of them. But he had little influence on the Earth delegates and so they didn't take his words seriously. Luckily, one of the delegates, suggested that they give the Preventers some time to ready a report and they would all meet later that day in an L1 colony.

                Quatre offered to go with her but Lady Une told him to stay. She was more concerned if the delegates decide to hand in the Gundam pilots for their survival. And having Quatre there would only endanger him, if his true identity was revealed. She knew, with Relena gone all of humanity's hope for survival rested on the Gundam pilots. And right now, their hope rested on the three missing Gundam pilots; Heero and Kylie, who were making their way into the heart of the enemy's fleet and Wu Fei, alone and hunting for the Telrhani spy.

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                When Wu Fei heard the transmission, he knew that he had to move fast. He knew that he had to get back to the others and help them. He looked around him, eyeing the old abandoned building before him. After a few days on Earth, he had located Mylin's location and was watching it carefully, planning his entrance. He knew that Mylin was hiding on the sixth floor and he had to sneak up there, bring the girl to safety and then face her. But now that things were getting desperate, Wu Fei decided to do the most direct thing.

                He burst into the building, nearly caught the raven haired spy-assassin by surprise. She jumped to her feet. "I know I'll be seeing you again," he said, seeing her all alone. "Where's the little girl?" he demanded.

                Mylin shrugged. "She's not here," she answered.

                "Wrong answer," said Wu Fei and he leapt forward, brandishing his gleaming blade. Mylin spun away, barely avoiding the blow as it whisked by her ear. She then kicked the blade and it flew off Wu Fei's hand.

                "Fight your enemy fair and square, Wu Fei Chang," she shouted, her jaw set. Then they reengaged in a personal battle they both began a few months ago. And again, each found themselves equally challenged. But soon, Mylin found her strength diminishing due to the wound she sustained as she fought to hang on.

                Then, she tripped. She grunted as her back hit the floor, sending needles of pain all over her body. Fighting back the nausea and the swirling black spot in her visions, Mylin tried to stand. But all of that took precious time that she needed as she saw Wu Fei's fist coming down at her.

                "NO!" Suddenly a voice screamed. Mylin flinched as Wu Fei's fist froze inches to her face. Then, a little girl ran to her and knelt beside Mylin, looking daggers at Wu Fei. Surprised by this turn of event, the Gundam pilot took a step back.

                "Don't hurt her," said the little girl, noticing Wu Fei's Preventer uniform. "She's the one who has been protecting me from the bad aliens. She got hurt because of me."

                Wu Fei blinked. It was then he noticed how pale Mylin was. Her face was gray and she was sweating. Looking at her hand that was holding her abdomen, he noticed a red stain was forming on the white makeshift bandage.

                "Anne, move away," she said, her voice even. Her eyes were only on Wu Fei. "He and I have something to settle."

                She forced herself to stand. Suddenly there was a crashing sound and figures dressed in black leapt into the room. Mylin growled at the sight of them while Anne screamed. "Ground troops!" she said. "They found us."

                Realizing that these were the 'bad' aliens that Mylin and Anne were running away from, Wu Fei stood between the two and the aliens. "Protect the girl," he told Mylin. "I'll handle these guys." He disarmed the nearest alien, throwing him back to his comrades as five of them hit the floor. Somehow, the floor gave way, plunging the five alien troopers down into their six-story's death.

                Then, Wu Fei faced the remaining six who had identified him as a dangerous enemy. They approached him cautiously. Then, as three of them kept him busy, the other three made their way towards Mylin and Anne. The Telrhani renegade fought them off all she could, ignoring the pain that was dulling her senses. Her main concern was to make sure Anne was safe and sound.

                Although the ground troopers were highly trained, they still lacked the training Mylin received as the Emperor's Eye. And as Wu Fei was finishing the ones he was fighting, Mylin already had the other three lying dead on the floor, necks all broken.

                She looked at Wu Fei as she fell to her knees. Darkness came to claim her as she heard Anne calling her name and someone with a strong grip holding her upright. She fought back the darkness and looked at the face of her enemy. "Get Anne out of here," she gasped.

                "What about you?" asked Anne, holding her arm, not willing to let her go.

                Mylin looked at Anne. "I'll be fine," she said, smiling. Then she turned to regard Wu Fei. "I'm going to activate the beacon to tell the recovery team where I am. It won't do if they find Anne here with me." She smiled ironically. "Isn't that what you were planning to stop from happening?"

                "You still want to go back? After what you did?" asked Wu Fei, indicating the carnage around them. Mylin looked at the lying corpses and shook her head. "They're still my people, Wu Fei Chang. My place is with them." He face hardened. "Besides, I'm a servant of the Emperor."

                Accepting her decision, Wu Fei looked at her. His face serious. "Then know this, Mylin. Your Warleader has Relena Peacecraft and Vincent Dupree along with the President of ESUN. He has launched the most dishonorable war ever by using these people to get us surrender." He paused. "But I won't."

                Mylin was surprised by what he said. Then, she nodded in understanding. "The Emperor won't be pleased at this. Now, I have to do all I can to stop Varishk's thirst for blood. Even if it means rescuing Relena Peacecraft and her friends. Varishk's mad reign is coming to an end."

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                The hall was in total chaos. Lady Une watched carefully as the delegates of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation argued over what they were to do next. Some voted for surrender, some suggested an all out strike against the Telrhani's fleet, and some even argued the surrender of the Gundam pilots. Those who disfavor the Gundam pilots were led by General McGarth who had been trying to get rid of the pilots and saw this as a perfect oppurtunity to do so.

                Lady Une sighed in fatigue. They had spend almost 24 hours to decide what to do. The first few hours were wasted blaming the Preventers for their incompetence and failure to inform them of the latest events. In reality, Lady Une had purposely failed to inform them because she was trying to avoid _this_ chaos. But now, she saw no other alternatives than to inform them of their status.

                Then the next hours were spent arguing over the performance of the Gundam pilots Why they, as Earth's most elite and professional team, failed to stop this invasion. McGarth had been actively involved with this as Lady Une tried to reassure the delegates that the Gundam pilots were doing all they can. She also didn't forget to point out that the pilots were their only hope for survival.

                But now as the hour grew near, they still hadn't made any useful insight as to how to go about this problem. Only a few of them were actually thinking things through, such as Weyrich and a team of more reasonable delegates. As Lady Une sighed for the second time, Mariemaia moved from her seat.

                Much to Lady Une's surprise, Mariemaia walked over to the center stage. She looked around at the representatives before her, scrutinizing them and then clapped her hands. She laughed as the noise stopped and the representatives looked at the small figure standing before them.

                "Why are you laughing, child? This is a dire matter," said one of the representatives.

                Mariemaia shrugged. "I'm just expressing my amusement at you, who are suppose to lead our people," she said. "If I had known how uneffective you are, I would've never surrendered to the Gundam pilots and declare myself ruler of the World Nation."

                "How dare you!" shouted another as the others expressed their outrage. For a moment, the whole hall buzzed.

                "Who let her in?"

                "Who gave you the permission to speak, child?"

                "Silence!" someone roared. All heads turned towards Marquis Weyrich, who was already standing. "She has the right to address this council because anything we decide shall not only effect us but her as well. Let her speak her mind."

                He nodded at Mariemaia, impressed by her courage to challenge the council. But there were still those who were not satisfied of Weyrich's decision. So, Mariemaia stared at them first. "Look at you sorry bunch. You've been given 24 hours to decide what to do but you spend the third half of it blaming each other. If I was the one who rule, I would make my decision even before the Warleader disconnected the transmission."

                General MacGarth stood, hoping his height could intimidate her. But found her green eyes challenging him even more. "Alright, young lady. Tell us what do you propose we should do," he challenged her, hoping the question would throw her back.

                But Mariemaia stood on her ground. "Easy," she said. "We keep on fighting. This is our home since the dawn of time. And we have been born free and equal. Why should we become slaves to these creatures?"

                There was a buzz as the representatives talked to each other.

                "Even so," she continued, gaining their interest. "We can't just go charging in into a battle with the Telrhani. We have to gather as much intelligence as possible, as well as strategies to battle them and _win_." She purposely emphasized the word 'win'. She looked at them. "So, we must let the Preventers do their job. They've already gathered information that you yourself lacked."

                "And," she said, pointedly staring at MacGarth. "Do _not_ even think about surrendering the Gundam pilots. They're our only hope. And I know that you know it is the truth. Without the Gundam pilots, we would already be a conquered race."

                With that she bowed and returned to her place. Before she could even sit, the hall was plunged into another chaos.

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                Mylin let the healer worked on her wounds. As expected, the recovery team came for her a few hours after Wu Fei left with Anne. They've found her bloodied with the rest of the ground team all dead. They hadn't asked her anything, knowing that the Warleader would find that out from her but after they've gathered the dead bodies for a funeral service, Mylin was sent to the infirmary.

                After the healer was done, Mylin made her way to the bridge. She knew Varishk would want to hear from her immediately concerning the dead troopers and she's just itchy to get back to her room to report her progress to the Emperor.

                "Mylin?" said a voice as soon as she entered the bridge. She saluted him.

                "Warleader."

                Varishk regarded her, carefully. "I gather you've already have a healer looking at your wounds?" he said, noticing them.

                Mylin nodded. "Yes, Warleader."

                "Good. Perhaps you might want to enlighten us," he said, indicating the dead bodies.

                "We were jumped by a Preventer agent, Warleader. A Gundam pilot," she said, telling the truth. "I got hurt when he battled me."

                "And the little girl?"

                Mylin looked down, pretending to be ashamed by her failure. "She's gone, with the Gundam pilot."

                "Hmm… the Gundam pilot again," he said, rubbing his chin. "It's seems like the Gundam pilots are becoming a nuisance to our cause." Then he shrugged. "No matter. Soon, they would just be part of history." He waved her away. "Go and rest, Mylin. I have nothing for you to do for now."

                She bowed and left. But as she was leaving, she managed to spare a glance at Sira who was watching her carefully. There was a skeptical look on her face that told Mylin that she hadn't believe in what she said. But Mylin didn't care. Soon, it would all be over.

                As she walked back to her room, Mylin made a quick stop to check on the prisoners. Sure enough, Relena Darlian and her partner were there. And she also saw the old man she had seen in the garden, the time she met Anne. Not wanting to make herself seemed more suspicious, Mylin resumed her journey to her room. There, she opened the secret connection to her homeworld.

                "Your Majesty," she said, as soon as Emperor Gylendar appeared.

                "Mylin, it's been long."

                Mylin's heart completely calmed. "My apologies, Your Majesty. The Warleader had me on an assignment on Earth."

                "Tell us about it."

                She relayed to him what happened. The abductions as well as Varishk plan. Gylendar listened to her reports carefully and only expressed his displeasure when heard of Varishk dishonorable way to conquer the humans. But when she came to the part where Relena Darlian wanted to talk about peace with them, Gylendar showed his interest.

                "They would want that, wouldn't they?" he had asked.

                "Yes. Which was why it was so easy for Varishk to set a trap for them. They let their peaceful nature distract them from the truth," Mylin had said. The Emperor nodded, his face betrayed his curiosity for the creature's ideal of peace with other races as Mylin continued on.

                When she was finished, Gylendar leaned back. "Good, Mylin. You have tell us the most disturbing and also intriguing things." Then his face was serious. "For now, we want you to watch Varishk's next plan. And contact us as soon as you heard of the human's decision."

                Mylin bowed. "Your will, Your Majesty."

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                When Wu Fei returned to MOV, he found the base in chaos, as expected. Lady Une had left with Mariemaia for L1 to stop the representatives from giving up the Gundam pilots and left Sally Po in charge. After Wu Fei took Anne to the infirmary and reported to Sally, he found out there were some people missing. As soon as he and the other four Gundam pilots assembled, they told him the reason why Heero and Kylie were missing.

                That didn't surprise him at all because he knew Heero would do anything to ensure the safety of Relena Peacecraft. But he was a little surprise that Kylie left with Heero and found himself disturbed by that. Duo, on the other hand, knew the reason but he still kept the secret that Heero Yuy and Kylie Rayden were twins to himself.

                Quatre's worry for the two were evident, especially for Kylie. He had been tempted to go after them when Howard offered to fix another of the alien's shuttle but he declined in the end. He knew he's needed where he was, to lead the other Gundam pilots. He was very grateful to Dorothy and Trowa who gave him all the supports that he badly needed.

                For now, all hope rested on the two missing pilots who could undoubtedly work miracle. But each of them had to wonder what the ESUN representatives decide to do with Variskh's demands.

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                The decision was made and Lady Une found herself slumped on her seat, tired. The council had overruled MacGarth's proposal and they waited patiently for the Telrhani to contact them. At exactly 24 hours, they did and Marquis Weyrich, acting President stood.

                "What is your decision then, human?" asked Varishk.

                "We've decided, under any circurmstances _not _to hand over the Gundam pilots to you," said Weyrich, his voice clear and proud. "The Gundams are our symbol of triumph. The pilots are those who sacrificed their lives for our survival. As long as they're with us, mankind will still have a chance to survive this war."

                He looked at Varishk. "So, therefore we will not surrender even to save the lives of those you're holding. We know they would've done the same thing." His eyes narrowed. "We're going to fight you, Telrhani. Until the end of our lives."

                For a moment there was silence as they waited for the Warleader to say anything. Or even showed a slightest emotion that featured his feelings for their decision. But his face was expressionless as he regarded the member of the council.

                Then, a few minutes later, he smiled. "Very well," he said, with a hint of anger and pleasure in his voice. "We shall fight to the end, then." He turned to the raven beauty behind him. "Mylin, dispose of our three prisoners. It seems like they've outgrown their usefulness."

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                "No!" Quatre blurted as Duo slammed his fist on the coffee table. They were all in the lounge, listening to the transmission. They were touched by Weyrich's words about them and vowed to themselves that they would prove him right. But when they failed to see any emotions written on Varishk's face, they knew it could mean trouble.

                Now, they were all shocked by his words. Zechs was on his feet instantly while Trowa's face showed his surprise. Sally, Dorothy and Hilde supressed their gasps while Catherine and Noin held on to Anne and Zechs. Anne were looking at them, questioningly, unable to fully understand what was happening while Noin could feel Zechs trembling inside.

                Of all, only Wu Fei remained calm. He was watching the raven haired Emperor's Eye behind the Warleader, wondering what Mylin would do. But aside from the startled look that flashed in her eyes a moment before, she was calm, almost expressionless. Then, she bowed.

                "As you wish, Warleader. It shall be done," she said, retreating. Then, the transmission ended.

                Duo stood. "They can't be serious!" he said, outrageously.

                "What will happen to grandpa?" asked a tiny voice.

                Catherine held on to her. "Hush, Anne. Grandpa will be fine. Just be a brave girl, okay." But her eyes reflected a look of hopelessness as she led the little girl out of the room. When they were gone, the others looked at each other.

                "What are we going to do?" asked Duo. "We can't just sit here." He turned to Wu Fei. "That alien friend of yours wouldn't do it, right? You said that she's on our side."

                Wu Fei shook his head. "I never said that. I only said that she rescued Anne but never said she's on our side. Her loyalty lies with her Emperor and she would do anything to protect his best interest. Even if it meant killing one of ours."

                Duo turned to Quatre. "Then, we must do something. Let's go there and rescue them."

                "We can't," said the blond pilot. "Even if we leave now, we could never reach Relena and the others in time."

                "But there must be something we could do!"

                "We pray," said Trowa, suddenly. The others turned to regard him. "Heero and Kylie are still out there. We just have to pray that they'll get to the three of them in time." Remembering the two, they nodded. Now, all hope rested heavily on the two silent Gundam pilots.

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                Varishk chuckled as he watched Mylin left the bridge. As he terminated the transmission, he was well aware of Sira, sending out two guards after the spy to make sure she did not change her mind or worse yet, defect. He looked at Sira, shaking his head.

                "Really, Commander, you must have trust in your men or else who can you trust to watch your back?" he said to her.

                The green haired beauty regarded him evenly. "I'm sorry to say I disagree, Warleader. It was my reluctance to trust people that brought me where I am today," she said, her voice soft. "By your side."

                He smiled at her, touched by her loyalty to him. Then he nodded, "By all means, Commander. Let's execute the second phase of our plan." Sira saluted him and turned to regard the Mican Warriors. "You know what to do," she said to them as K'Vai as leader nodded.

                "Very clear, Commander," he said as his fellow warriors departed.

                Sira then turned to Captain Stharhkis. "Give the order, captain," she said. "It's time we attack the Earth Sphere Unified Nation's delegates to prove our great power." The captain saluted her and turned to his men while Sira watched over the busy bridge.

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                Mylin walked along the hallway, purposefully. Her demeanor was calm but a thousand questions played in her mind. Deep inside was a conflict between her principles, her loyalty and her duty. She knew that she cannot allow Varishk to get everything his way but if she showed her true color now, she'd jeopardize her mission for the Emperor. But what about the promise she made to Anne?

                She was well aware of the two guards escorting her to the brig. She knew that they were both especially selected by Sira to make sure where her loyalty lie. Personally, Mylin didn't care about them escorting her. She was more concerned with the price that she will have to pay for her loyalty to her Emperor.

                Then, they reached the cell where they kept the three influential human leaders. Mylin nodded at the guard who was guarding the cell, signaling him to open the door. Inside, the three prisoners blinked at the sudden brightness from the lights in the hallway.

                Mylin looked at them one by one. Her eyes cold and her face unreadable. "Get up," she ordered as Relena and Vincent helped the President. They looked at her, expectantly. "It's time for your execution," she told them.

                Their faces fell as they exchanged glances. Vincent quickly stood between Mylin and Relena asking, "Why?"

                "Your fellow humans didn't think your life worth something," she answered. "So, we're just going to see if it's true." There was a look of pride on their faces, as each was glad that humans were still holding on hope for victory. Mylin signaled the three guards to secure the prisoners so they could take them to the execution area. The three obeyed her command.

                Then there was a series of shot and the three went down, dead. The other three stared at the dead bodies, surprised. Relena looked up. "Why did you…?" she began but Mylin quickly waved off her question as she put away her gun.

                "Don't ask," she said to her. She then turned to the President. "Your granddaughter is safe with the Preventers." A look of relief passed on his face as she said that. She gestured to the door. "Let's go. I must get all of you out of here."

                Suddenly someone hit her from behind. Mylin was thrown to the wall where she rolled and jumped back to her feet, nimbly. For a moment her head rang as she tried to shake the feeling off. She faced her attacker only to find that she was outnumbered two-to-one. One person, the one of hit her, was in an attacking position while the other was training a gun at her.

                To her surprise, Relena Darlian stepped between her and them, facing the duo. "Stop, Heero! She's a friend," she said, surprising the three fighters. The two looked at each other before the one named Heero put down his gun.

                It was then Mylin saw their faces. "You! How did you get here?" she blurted, surprised.

                "The same way any of your kind get here," said Heero. "We came in with one of your shuttle."

                Mylin nodded. "I should've expect that from you," she said, relaxing her composure. She nodded at Kylie. "Glad to see you survived," she said, deeply impressed. "That blast should've finished you off. Even the shockwave should be enough to kill you."

                Hearing that, Kylie's eyes went even colder. "I guess you underestimated me," she said, tonelessly.

                "I guess I did," said Mylin, evenly. Tension started to thicken as the two glared at each other. "But I won't say that I was sorry for trying to blow you up and shooting at you with the arrow. I was just doing my job."

                Kylie stood down, relaxing her composure. "In that case, I won't say I'm sorry for that bleeding nose and the headache you're about to get," she said. It was then Mylin realized that her nose was broken being hit on the wall when Kylie executed her flying kick.

                For a moment there was silence. Then, Mylin voiced, "You better get out of her before somebody come by," she said to them.

"Get them out, Kylie," said Heero to his sister. Kylie spared a glance at him and then nodded. She gestured Relena and the others to follow her while Heero dealt with Mylin. Relena tried to linger but a look on Heero's face told her to go. Then, there was silence as they were the only ones left. The two warriors looked at each other.

                "You know what I must do, don't you?" he asked her.

                She nodded. "I know," she said, as Heero trained his gun at her. "Tell Wu Fei it's been an honor working with him." Surprised, he could only nodded. Then, his eyes narrowed.

                "This is for my sister," he said, surprising Mylin in return. But before she could ask what he meant, there was a sound of gunshot and stab of pain. Then, the world around her was enveloped in darkness.

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                Amy Pierson and Jack Fields strolled along the garden in silence. Their world tour was done with the last night's performance in that colony. While the rest of the band decided to hang out in the local places, Amy and Jack decided to take a quiet walk. Occasionally fans, who could see under their disguises, would come up for an autogarph but most of the time they were alone.

                Jack glanced at her, noting the worried look on her face. The situation was critical for their side. With the President and Vice Foreign Minister's capture, they were losing all hope. Their only hope was on the Gundam pilots but even they seemed unable to ward off the alien's advances. Most of them were feeling discouraged but some even starting to lose hope.

                But that wasn't the thing that worried Amy. She and Relena had been friends for some time now, even though the two had been too busy to see each other. And to top it off, she'd just heard from a reliable source that two Gundam pilots were dispatched to try and rescue the prisoners.

                "Maybe it's not her, Amy," said Jack.

                Amy turned to him. "I know it's her, Jack," she insisted. "Kyle would do such a thing. And this morning I tried to contact her but the Preventer agent said that she isn't available. It must be her. She would've answered my call." Then, she was starting to cry.

                Jack gathered her in his arms. "Shh… it's going to be okay. We're talking about Kyle, remember? She'll pull through. She always does." He tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "Whatever happened, we must be strong. That's what she would've tell us."

                "I'm so scared," she said, softly.

He titled her chin up. "Don't be," he said. "You still have me, remember? I will not let anything happen to you. I promise you this." He was about to kiss her when suddenly the alarm sounded and the ground started to shake.

                "It's an attack!" they heard someone shouted. Then, people started to run around, heading for the docking bay where the escape shuttles were waiting. Amy and Jack stood there for a moment, surprised but when the colony shook again, Jack quickly grabbed her hand.

                "Come on, we must get out of here," he shouted over the noise.

                They then started to run towards the nearest docking bay. Occasionally, the colony would shake and they had to fight to maintain their balance. Jack was holding Amy so tight that her hand was starting to hurt. But she knew they had to get out of the colony or risk getting caught by the Telrhani.

                "There's the exit!" Jack stated, pointing at the exit. They saw other people were making their way towards it too. Jack and Amy ran faster when suddenly a building fell, cutting them off the exit. They could hear those from the other side shouting for their love ones who were trapped.

                Then, the aliens were in.

                Jack looked at the exit, a look of defeat in his eyes. He glanced at the aliens who were starting to shepherd the colonists to their ships. Then, he looked at Amy, noting the fear on her face. Suddenly, his feeling of defeat was replaced by determination.

                "Come on," he said to her. "We must hide."

                He led her to a small abandoned building, a rundown inn. They entered a room. There, they crouched under a table near the window. Jack signaled Amy to keep quiet as he looked out the window. The Telrhani now were searching each building to find anyone who was hiding. Jack said his prayer, hoping they would not check their hiding place but when three of them started making their way towards their direction, his stomach sank.

                'What must I do?' he thought, thinking furiously. He knew that he can't let them take Amy. He'd promised her he would protect her. Still thinking of Amy, Jack decided the most desperate thing. He crouched over to Amy's side. The girl was looking at him, her eyes wide with fear.

                'Forgive me, my love,' he thought.

                He put a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "Wait here," he said. "Whatever happen, don't move. I want you to stay here until everything is over." He paused. "Then, look Kyle up. Find her when this is over."

                Amy's eyes widened. "Wh.. where are you going?"

                Jack shook his head, refusing to answer the most obvious question. He repeated what he said, "Find Kyle." He then kissed her good bye and stared at the door. Suddenly, he ran towards the door, knocking it down before Amy could stop him.

                That attracted the Telrhani. They turned around to find Jack running away from the building. The Telrhani also ran after him as he led them away from Amy. Amy tried to stifle a cry for Jack as she watched Jack being chased by the Telrhani with his mad dash. Then, there was an explosion and she was thrown across the room. Amy remembered nothing.

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                When the attack came, the ESUN delegates scrambled to get to safety. Stuck in the crowd, Mariemaia found herself being pulled away from Lady Une who was shouting for her name. Mariemia tried to fight her way to Lady Une but the crowd was pulling her to the wrong way. She shouted for her father's assistant but her voice was drowned by the screaming of the colonists. Soon, she couldn't see Lady Une anymore.

                Then, there was a sound of sobbing. Mariemaia looked ahead to find a little girl crying openly in a small alley. Fighting her way through, she got to the girl. "Are you alright?" she asked the girl, who appeared to be a few years younger than her. The girl shook her head. "I lost my mommy."

                Mariemaia knelt. "Stop crying," she said, helping her up. "Let's go find your mommy, alright?" she said, knowing that she can't leave the girl alone. Seeing that the way she came was packed, Mariemaia decided to make her way to the other end of the alley.

                But that proved to be a wrong decision. As soon as Mariemaia and the girl stepped out of the alley, they were surrounded by the Telrhani's Collectors. By then the girl was starting to cry again. As they took them away, Mariemaia wondered if she would see Lady Une and Kylie again.

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                Quatre knew he was struggling for control. The alien's attack had come as a surprise to them and judging from the coordination of the enemy, they had indeed planned on attacking the ESUN representatives as soon as they gave Varishk their answer. But that put the human's side at a disadvantage. With Lady Une still out, probably among those who were captured, Sally was left to supervise the attack and rescue from the headquarters. Noin was leading the Preventer mobile suits to offer as much support to the Gundams. And since two of the best pilot weren't available, Quatre was down with Trowa, Duo, Wu Fei and Zechs to handle the Mican warriors and their troopers.

                Quatre bit back a curse when Sandrock shook. Ever since Keil'n decided that he was a worthy opponent, he had showed Quatre his real skills. Personally, Quatre knew he could handle him well, now that he's using the Zero system. But then K'Vai had also decided that he would fight Quatre together with Keil'n just because he was leading the Gundam team.

                As he fought for his life, Quatre glanced at the colony. He knew that the Telrhani had already boarded the colony and now most probably gathering the colonists. It was then he wondered if the Zero system was enough to stop the aliens. At the end of his musings, he decided that the system was useful but they still need their full team.

                So, he prayed for Heero and Kylie's safety.

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                Heero caught up with Kylie just as she was fighting a Telrhani guard. Relena, Vincent and the President watched as the former assassin wrenched the gun free from the guard's hand and twisted his head with a crack. Relena buried her face in Vincent's shoulder, trying to drown the sound as the guard fell to the floor, dead.

                Kylie almost took Heero's head off before finally realized who he was. Her fist was inches from his head. "Sorry," she muttered.

                Heero waved off her apology. "Come on," he said. "It won't be long until we're discovered."

                "Too late," said a new voice. They turned to see a beautiful green haired woman standing at the entrance where Heero came from. She regarded the two of them. "You must be the Gundam pilots I've heard so much about. I was wondering if we'd ever meet."

                Heero handed his rifle at Kylie. "Get them out," he said, in his usual monotone voice. His eyes never left the woman he recognized as the Warleader's assistant, Sira. Kylie looked at Heero and then at the woman. Then, she ushered the other three away.

                "No," Relena tried to protest but Vincent was pulling her away. As she left, Kylie spared a last glance at the two warriors and followed the others, her rifle and gun ready.

                Relena, Vincent and the President ran as Kylie led them to where she and Heero kept their shuttle. Suddenly there was a series of shots as the four of them were forced to take cover. Then, Kylie returned the fire, shooting at the Telrhani with a surprising accuracy. When they were all dead, Kylie turned to Vincent.

                She handed him a rifle, the one Heero gave her. "The shuttle is that way," she said, pointing towards the hallway to their right. "Get yourselves on the shuttle and launch. Whatever happens, don't wait for us," she ordered.

                Vincent stared at the rifle, as if it was a snake. But realizing that it was necessary to protect Relena and the President, he nodded. Relena grabbed Kylie's shoulder. "What about you?" she asked.

                Kylie's cold eyes were even colder at that. "Heero's in danger. He's not her match," she said, without explaining how she knew. She looked at Relena. "He risked his life to get you out, so get out. I'll go and make sure he stays alive."

                She glanced at the left hallway. "Go now before the back up guards are here. I'll cover your escape."

                Reluctantly, Relena, Vincent and the President left. As soon as they were gone, a shot passed above Kylie's head as she ducked. She returned fire, killing the Telrhani guards instantly. After making sure that there was no one coming from the left hallway, Kylie went back where they left Heero.

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                Heero hit the wall and slid down to the floor. His head was starting to swim as he struggled to get back on his feet. From the moment he met the woman personally, he knew that he couldn't take her on in a combat. There was something dangerous in her eyes, something that would've existed in Heero as well if he hadn't regained his shred of humanity years ago.

                As they fought, Heero's suspicion was proved correct. The woman, Sira, had skills that paled his own. Before long, he was taking beatings after beatings but he knew he had to try and buy some time for Relena and the others to escape.

                Sira regarded him. "You are well trained, young Gundam pilot. You have the skill superior to the Telrhani's ordinary soldier and given the chance, I know you could also take on the Mican troopers if not the Mican warriors." Her eyes narrowed. "But you seemed to be holding something back. You're letting your feelings for your people temper with your fighting skills. And that would get you killed!"

                She hit him again. Heero's vision started to blacken as Sira grabbed his hair. "Too bad. I was hoping you could provide me with the challenges I need." She raised her hand for a final blow as Heero struggled to stay awake, to think of how to save himself from the inevitable death.

                As her hand fell, something else hit her, throwing her across the room. Herro staggered, falling to the floor when he felt someone grabbing him and pulled him upright. He saw Kylie glared at Sira, her cold eyes flashing at the prospect of seeing her twin being hurt.

                Sira jumped to her feet, glaring at Kylie in return. She put up a fighting stance, challenging her. Kylie shook her head slightly. "I have no time for you," she said, throwing something at Sira and then dive to a safe corner, pulling Heero with her.

                There was an explosion.

                Kylie looked down at Heero who was starting to regain his strength. "You okay?" she asked.

                "Yeah," said Heero, as she helped him up. His body was hurt all over as blood started to pour down from the wound Sira had slashed with her dagger. He put a pressure on the chest wound and regarded her. "Where's Relena?"

                "I told them to go first," she answered. "Come on, we might still be able to catch up with them." She draped his right arm over her shoulder. Supporting his weight, Kylie began to lead him towards where the shuttle was.

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                Catherine, Dorothy, Hilde and Mary Anne watched the battle. From the look of things their side was definitely losing. They could almost see the aliens' slaveships making their way back to the fleet and the human fighters, Gundams and Preventers, were fighting to save the rest of the colonists as well as their own.

                Catherine held on to Anne in a tight embrace. She was actually trembling, her concern for her little brother Trowa was at its peak. And she couldn't help herself from thinking if Trowa would meet the same fate as the rest of their circus family. If she lose Trowa now, she'll lose everything she cared for.

                Finally, her legs couldn't hold her weight anymore and she fell to her knees. Anne had already started to cry openly, calling for her grandfather and Catherine's heart went out for her. She then pulled Anne tighter, saying, "It's going to be alright, Anne. Trowa will be alright. He will get your grandpa back, I promise. Trowa and the others will save us." And she repeated those words over and over again as she forced out a hidden strength that she herself didn't know existed.

                Dorothy watched the two for a moment. Then, she turned her gaze on Hilde. The former OZ officer was watching the battle, her face was calm but her eyes seemed to shimmer from tears. She knew that this girl wished that she could go out there and fight with the person she loved but with her injuries slowly healing, Dorothy knew that Hilde knew she would only be a liability.

                Although Hilde's eyes held a little fear for Duo's fate, Dorothy could almost see a strong sense of trust. It was as if Hilde trust Duo to come back to her. Praying that Quatre would too, Dorothy turned her attention back towards the battle. The Gundams were clearly outnumbered without the presence of the two more ruthless Gundam pilots. For the first time since everything started, Dorothy wished that Kylie was there. She would make sure Quatre and the other Gundam pilots got out of the battle safe and alive, a thing that Dorothy was not able to do.

                How she wished that there was something she could do. Then maybe, she would be able to keep him safe like what Kylie always did whenever Quatre was in battle.

                If only she knew how to pilot a mobile suit.

                Then she remembered something. 

                Hilde, who was watching the battle was suddenly aware that the person next to her tensed. She turned to regard Dorothy when she saw the girl clenched her fists, looking at them determinedly. But before she could ask anything, the blonde girl was already running out of the room.

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                Vincent pulled the trigger as the Telrhani ducked for cover. He was actually getting used to it but he was not trained to use a rifle. Sure, he did have a lot of practice at shooting clay pigeons but he had never found himself shooting at living and breathing things before. Despite that, his accuracy was astonishing. However, accuracy wasn't important when you're trying not to get yourself killed in a shootout.

                He glanced at Relena, who was looking at him, wide-eyed. Vincent knew then why Kylie had given the rifle to him. She knew that the President couldn't handle it and Relena, she wanted to make sure Relena, as an advocate for peace, didn't have any hand in killing in her clean profile. She knew it was dire for Relena to maintain her violent-free image.

                And so, it was only up to Vincent to get them to the shuttle which was only a few feet away from their hiding place. And he was determined to make sure that she and the President got there safely. He turned to the two. "When I said go, you two run to the shuttle," he said.

                "What do you think you're doing?" asked Relena, fearing that he might duplicate Heero and Kylie's actions.

                Vincent shook his head. "I have no time for an argument. Just run while I cover you." Seeing the reluctant in her eyes, he added. "Don't worry, I'll be with you shortly." For a moment their eyes met and the longtime trust between two friends surfaced. Relena nodded.

                "Don't get yourself killed."

                Without saying anything, Vincent jumped out from hiding and fired at the Telrhani. They went back into cover as he yelled, "Now!"

                Relena and the President ran towards the shuttle, running up the ramp. When they were safely aboard, that was when Vincent's rifle ran out of bullets. Stifling a series of curses he knew, he ran towards the ramp, hoping he could cover as much ground possible before the Telrhani realized that he wasn't armed. But suddenly, he felt his body jerked as a look of horror crossed over Relena's eyes.

                Then, his feet felt like rubber as he fell onto the floor. His last thought was of his failure to save Relena Darlian.

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	10. Chapter 10: The Proposal

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!☺

**TIMELINE:** The story mostly takes place after Endless Waltz. To be more precise, one year after Endless Waltz. That means two years after my very own Treize's Revenge series.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST X: THE PROPOSAL. 

By Arayelle Lynn.

                Dorothy ran towards the place only she knew. Zechs had showed her what it was and had told her to use it when she was ready. At first, she was tempted to use it but then, her vow got in the way. Since the war in AC 195, she had vowed never to use it again. She knew that she must leave her hatred and love for war in the past. But now, it seemed like she had to forget all about it.

                Now, she's ready for war.

                As soon as she reached the door, she punched in the code Zechs had told her to memorize. When the door opened, she quickly grabbed the object on the seat and slipped it on her head. As soon as she did so, the whole room was lit with blinking bright lights as a smile of satisfaction played across her lips.

                "Alright, aliens," she said, as her fingers danced across the control pad. She felt excitement tingling at the base of her skull. "Let's see how do you fare against my dear mobile dolls. And the Zero system."

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                The Gundam pilots and their supports were surprised. One minute they were losing and the next, a huge troop of human mobile suits joined in the battle. They were all the recent version of space Leos and Virgos. And they seemed to make up for the human defense force's lack of number.

                "Wha…" Trowa heard Duo blurted. "I didn't know the Preventers have other support troops."

                Noin's face came onto the screen. "Those aren't ours."

                "But they came _from_ the headquarters," Quatre pointed out, already making his scans.

                But Trowa was the one who reached the conclusion first. His scans showed something peculiar and yet something familiar. "Those aren't soldiers," he reported. "They're mobile dolls!"

                "But how? By the looks of it, someone seemed to be piloting them. they can't all be MDs," said Duo, noticing how accurate and subtle the MDs were at tackling the aliens. These mobile dolls seemed to have strategies of their own but that would be impossible for things, which were controlled by a computer.

                "Dorothy!" said Quatre, realizing what was happening. "But how…"

                His words were cut short when Zechs appeared on the screen. "I explain later. Right now, we must make sure that the colony and the delegates are secured," he said. He resumed his battle with K'Rin, silently thanking Dorothy for her perfect timing.

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                When Vincent went down, Relena's first instinct was to go back to get him. But before she could do so, the Telrhani started to fire on them, forcing them to take cover. Right then, a feeling of hopelessness started to gnaw her very being as she recalled the two dearest people in her life that she was losing. It was then, she prayed for a miracle again.

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                As his life was slowly draining away, Vincent contemplated over his failure to save the one woman he ever loved. It pained him that he couldn't get her to safety as much as it pained him not to have the chance of telling her how much he loved her. And that added more to the agony in his heart.

                Then suddenly, he felt as if he was being lifted. His first thought was that he was traveling to the eternal place, the one his old priest had been preaching him about when he was younger but when he raised his head, he found himself considering the next possibility.

                He found himself staring up onto the face of Relena's friend, Heero Yuy. His face was bloody but the wild and dangerous look in his eyes were still there, though, more evident than usual. Then, he heard a series of gunshots but there were no bullets coming at them. And as Heero swung his arm across his shoulder, Vincent spared a look over his shoulder and saw Kylie shooting at the Telrhani, covering their escape.

                Then, as soon as he and Heero were on the ramp, Kylie backed, making her way up to the ramp and at the same time shooting at the Telrhani guards. Then, Heero set him onto the floor as Relena rushed towards them. Heero stood up and regarded Relena. "Take care of him," he said before going into the cockpit.

                When the engine started, Kylie was already inside the ship and slammed her palm on a button as the ramp was being pulled up. They heard bullets trying to pierce through the metal surface of the door as the Telrhani guards still determined to recover their prisoners. But it was already too late.

                Kylie threw down her rifle and knelt before Relena and Vincent. She tore the sleeve of her jacket and shoved it onto his wound as a cry of pain escaped his lips. She then turned to Relena. "Press the cloth against the wound as long as it takes," she told her, gesturing Relena to take over. She turned to the President. "You, find something to cover him with."

                She then stood up and ran towards the cockpit.

                Vincent gasped as it was hard for him to breathe. The bullet had gone into his lungs as blood started to trail down his lips. But he knew he had to tell Relena how he felt should he not be able to make it. He grabbed her hand, which was pressing against his wound.

                "I'm so sorry," he rasped, fighting back unconsciousness. "I'm so sorry that I got you into this mess and I'm so sorry I can't get you out safely." Relena looked at him, surprised. "What are you talking about, Vincent? I was the one who got us in this mess, remember?" She tried to smile but failed miserably.

                "But I should've known," said Vincent. Then, he gripped her hand tightly, knowing he needed to tell her the next thing. "I love you, Relena Darlian. I love you since the day we met. When I left you to return home that was the hardest thing I ever did. And I spent years after that, trying to locate you but you seemed to fashion following your father everywhere."

                "And the reason I seek you out now is because I can no longer hide my feelings," he said, trying hard to bear the pain. "Please, if I make it through this alive, please, promise me that you will marry me." As he said that, he lost consciousness.

                Relena was shocked. She had never thought that he would feel that strongly towards her. And the irony was, she had been dreaming about him saying those things when she was a little girl. She knew that part of her had always love Vincent but what about the other part?

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                Kylie let Heero pilot despite his serious injuries. She knew that he needed the distraction to keep himself awake. And so, she made herself useful by fixing the communication system, which had fried in the escapade. She had a feeling that they would be needing it since the Warleader had dispatched a few of his troops to go after them.

                Her head bumped on the console as she swallowed a few curses. She was trying to reconnect a few delicate wires back into place and the aliens were not helping at all. And now, she was getting tired of lying on her back, risking her head to be fried along with the other circuitries.

                Somehow, Heero understood her predicament and tried to hold the ship steady, giving her enough time to finish the repairs. As she jumped up to her feet, their ship shook as Kylie was thrown into her seat. Gritting her teeth, she took over the control to the secondary defense system and blasted away the Telrhani fighters. Heero let her channeled her anger away as he struggled to pilot the ship back to Earth and at the same time, fired on the aliens.

                When Kylie was calmed, she flipped over the transmission button, hoping that the others would receive their signal. She hadn't care who she was transmitting to just as long as it was directed to Earth and that they could hear her.

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                Sally was taken by surprise when the unexpected transmission got in. It seemed like every vidscreen in space and on Earth, public and government alike, were showing the same thing. It showed the face of Kylie Rayden, telling them that they had rescued the President and the Vice Foreign Minister and now required some back up.

                 The headquarters was plunged into more chaos as the transmission played on. Each was trying to determine the origin of the transmission. Then, Lady Une's face appeared on a screen. "Sally, deploy the Gundams at once," she ordered.

                But a glance at another screen told Sally everything. "Too late, ma'am," she said. "The pilots are already on their way."

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                When the transmission came in, Quatre's first instinct was to ran a scan to locate it. He knew that Heero and Kylie would never ask for assistance if they didn't need it. It's only on rare occasions that they both would ask for help because both of them were capable at almost everything.

                Not everything, alright. Not everything including the other Mican Warriors who now had abandoned the battlefield to intercept Heero's shuttle. In fact, most of their troops left with them but K'Vai wouldn't leave the Gundams and the Preventers without some treats.

                Then, he got the location. For a moment, he looked at the alien fighters and Mican troopers they had to take care of. Setting aside his own personal feelings, he contacted his friends. "Wu Fei, Duo. You two go and help Heero. Your high speed Gundams should be fast enough to catch up with them," he said, the next words sounded very reluctant. "Trowa, Zechs and I can take care of things here." He paused. "Bring them back, guys."

                "Roger," said Duo while Wu Fei was already racing towards where Heero's shuttle was.

                "Go, Gundam pilots," said a husky voice. Quatre was startled when Zechs appeared on his screen. "Go help your friends," he said, knowing how hard it was for him to stay. "The Preventers, Dorothy and I can handle things back here."

                Noin appeared. "Yes, go help your friends," she said, speaking to Trowa.

                Then, the two Gundams left the battlefield for their friends.

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                The shuttle shook as Heero tried to fight back unconsciousness. They had lost their main weapons earlier and now was depending on the secondary weapons, which Kylie was handling. He knew that no matter what happen, he can't lose consciousness. He knew that he must keep himself awake so that he could help Kylie fought off the aliens. But he was losing too much blood from the slash on his chest and their secondary weapons were also running low…

                Suddenly, the shaking seemed to stop as the aliens were distracted by some newcomers. Heero glanced at the battle outside and saw his friends chasing away the aliens. After a short battle, the aliens decided that they should retreat.

                The comm. crackled.

                "Are you alright there?" came Quatre's voice, although they lost visual.

                Kylie answered it. "We're okay but in need of medical attention once we're back."

                They could almost hear Quatre's sigh of relief then. "Alright, we're escorting you back."

                Kylie sank back into her seat and grabbed the throttle. She turned to Heero, noticing his weakened state. "I think I should take over piloting," she said, setting on the copilot mode. She then heard Heero sighed as he said, "Great, thanks." Then, he lost consciousness.

                Kylie quickly reached over and set him right before he slide off the seat. She shook his shoulder but he was already out cold. "Damn!" she said, strapping him. She then took on the task of getting the two injured to the medical facility as quickly as she could.

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                "Relena!" a voice called out to her as Relena watched the medics took Vincent away. Her first impulse was to follow them but the sight of her worried brother weakened her knees. She tried to walk up to him but only to have stumbled. Zechs quickly caught her and held her tight.

                "God, I was so worried about you," he whispered, making Relena startled by the tone of his voice. Truly, he _was_ worried.

                But instead of reassuring him that she was fine, Relena held him even tighter. Never had the two siblings held each other like that. And this time was the perfect time, if there was any. Around them, others were making their way towards the newly arrived shuttle too. 

                "Kylie!" the two heard Quatre cried, alarmed. They both turned to see Kylie staggered out of the shuttle, supporting Heero. There were scorched marks on her suit and she was all bloodied.

                Quatre and Wu Fei quickly went to her side but she shook her head. "I'm okay but Heero's not," she said as Wu Fei helped her get Heero on a stretcher. It was then Relena realized that Heero was unconscious and that there was a bleeding gash on his chest.

                "Heero!" she cried, pushing herself away from Zechs. But the medics were already wheeling Heero away. Relena watched as they disappeared into the hallway with Kylie, Quatre and the other Gundam pilots.

                "Grandpa!" a small voice echoed in the hangar as a little girl flew into the arms of the ESUN president. Distracted, Relena watched the two hugging each other and exchanging kisses. Then, after they were done, the little girl pointed to the two older girls behind him. "They took care of me. They told me you'll be back," she said.

                The President smiled gratefully at Catherine and Hilde. "Thank you for taking good care of my only granddaughter. I was really worried about her when the aliens took me in. I thought they have her," he said.

                Catherine smiled back and patted Anne's shoulder, gently. "No problem. Anne is a very obedient girl. We all really love having her here with us," she said, wiping a tear that was threatening to roll down her cheek. She was reminded of her old family before they were killed.

                "And besides, I was never in danger, grandpa," said Anne. "Mylin took good care of me too."

                The President's frowned. He looked at Catherine. "Who's Mylin?"

                At the hesitance of Catherine's face, Lady Une decided to step in. "She's… uh… an interesting element that we'll be discussing later, Mr. President. You will find her role… alarming and strange but first we really need to get you to the infirmary for a standard medical review."

                Still curious, the President let the head of Preventers led him towards the infirmary. A pressure on Relena shoulder made her turned to Zechs. "Lady Une has just gave us a good idea. We should get you to the infirmary." He then pointedly said, "Maybe then we'll find out how the others are doing."

                Realizing whom he meant, Relena nodded and let him helped her to the infirmary with Noin, Catherine and Hilde watching them.

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                When the news came to her that Heero and Vincent would be fine, she was more than relieved. Finally, she slumped on the seat, exhaling the breath that she had been holding ever since the two were in the operation room. The news had came to her almost spontaneously with Vincent's physician coming out of the first operation room and Sally Po from the second.

                But now she realized that she had a dilemma. The two that were hurt were both very important to her. She wanted to wait by their side but she cannot do both since they're in separate rooms. So now, Relena had to choose between Heero and Vincent.

                She first walked over to the room where Heero was. She had known how badly Vincent was hurt but she never really know how much injuries Heero was suffering when he fought Sira. The other Gundam pilots were all waiting near the doorway, concerned over a valued member of their team. But when Relena looked beyond the doorway, she saw Kylie sitting on a chair near Heero's bed, obviously waiting for him to regain consciousness.

                Relena couldn't really tell the relationship between the two of them. Both had been inseparable ever since they started working together. At times, Relena could almost see how both understood each other's feelings. But Relena doubted that they're romantically involved. Seeing how close Kylie was with Quatre told Relena that the girl was interested only in the Sandrock's pilot. But what's really with her and Heero?

                Relena let the question passed as she watched the people who were waiting for Heero. She decided Heero didn't need her at all. He had other people watching and waiting for him to wake up. Vincent didn't have that luxury. And so, casting a last look at Heero's pale face, she slowly made her way to Vincent's room.

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                Kylie waited patiently. Her eyes were only on Heero's pale but peaceful face. Seeing him sleeping so soundly reminded her of Quatre. She realized that Heero too, looked like a sleeping angel when he was sleeping. His face was peaceful, a contrast to the cold and serious look on his face when he was awake. It was then, something told her that although life might be hard and cruel for Heero Yuy but when he was asleep, he diverted back to the boy who was once happy and had a family.

                Occasionally, Sally would come in to check on Heero. Although she told Kylie to take a break and rest, the younger girl didn't move an inch. She knew her action was attracting curious stares from the others but Kylie just plain didn't care. Let them think what they want to think because she knew that she must stay with her twin.

                Even so, she did spare a glance at Quatre, wanting to see his reaction towards this. But the blond pilot had only understanding written all over his face. He even nodded his approval to her staying by Heero's side, thinking that it was somehow important for her to do so. His understanding somehow sent a strange warmth in her heart.

                When there was a scraping sound, Kylie jumped to her feet. A blanket slid off to her feet as she looked around her, alarmed. It was then she realized that she had doze off. "Sorry to have awaken you," said a voice. Kylie nodded as Lady Une made her way to another chair.

                "How's he doing?" asked the older woman.

                Kylie looked down at Heero before sitting. "The same. He lost a lot of blood and it will take some time for him to regain consciousness," she answered, brushing away a lock of hair that fell in Heero eyes. The swelling on Heero face was subsiding though Kylie knew the bruise would stayed for at least four days.

                Lady Une watched her silently. She too, was curious over the relationship of her young charge and the Wing Zero pilot. But before she could say a thing, Kylie asked her a question. "Where are the others?" she asked, noticing that the doorway and hallway were empty. It felt as if it was seconds ago when the other pilots were standing there.

                "They decided to call it a day. They had it really rough when you and Heero weren't here," Une answered. "But it took some tough persuasion to get Quatre to rest in his quarters. He was planning to spend the night on the couch in the hallway.

                Kylie smiled at that. It was the first real smile from her that Lady Une hadn't seen for a long, long time. "That's so typical of him," she heard the ex-assassin said. There was a distinctive tone of affection in her voice. "But that's what makes him so special," she whispered with a faraway look on her face. 'That's what give him the right to live.'

                As she stared at Heero's face, Kylie waited for Lady Une to speak. She knew that the woman had curious questions about her and Quatre and Heero. Not that Kylie was planning to answer any of them but it would be interesting to know how people draw conclusions over her relationship with the two pilots.

                But when Lady Une didn't say a thing, she looked up. It was then she noticed that Treize's assistant looked very tired and seemed worse for wear. But that was not what startled her. It was the way she was staring at her as well as the eerie silence that shrouded the room.

                "What is it?" Kylie demanded, knowing something was amiss.

                Lady Une looked reluctant for a moment.

                "Tell me, dammit!"

                She took a long deep breath and stared at Kylie. "Something bad has happened," she began.

                Kylie waited for her to continue. Her fists were balled and knuckles were white.

                "It's… Mariemaia," said Une. It was hard for her to say the next words but she somehow managed. "She's been captured."

                At that Kylie jumped to her feet, heading towards the door. Lady Une rose. "Where do you think you're going?"

                "Rescue her, of course," said Kylie, her voice cold and hard. "I can't let anything happen to Treize's only heir."

                "But you can't go," said Lady Une, gripping her arm to stop her from bolting out of the door.

                Kylie pried the hand off her arm and looked at her. "And why not? I've made my way in safely just a few days ago."

                "Yes but you're too exhausted to do anything now," Une pointed out, seeing the dark circles under her eyes. "It won't do you or Mariemaia any good if you collapse in the middle of the rescue. You must take a good rest before you start doing something as dangerous as this."

                The muscle in Kylie's shoulder tensed as Une said that. "Besides," Lady Une continued. "We still have to make the necessary repairs on the alien shuttle. Unless it is repaired, it's not going anywhere." She paused to glance at Heero. "Stay here and wait until Heero regain consciousness. Then, you can leave with him again."

                At that, Kylie's shoulder relaxed. She realized that it was important for her to stay with Heero as much as to help the other pilots defend the colonies from any Telrhani vengeance attack. Plus, she suddenly felt as if her body was going to sleep again. And so, she nodded and returned to her seat.

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                It had been hours but Vincent still hadn't regained consciousness. The physician told Relena that it had been a touch and go for him but somehow they managed to stabilize his condition. As she waited for him to wake up, Relena thought over what he said before he lost consciousness. She was still confused by what had taken place a few hours ago and somehow excited over something that she couldn't identify.

                Secretly, she knew that she still loved Vincent Dupree. He had been her friend, her partner as well as her childhood crush. When she was a child, he was everything to her and their parting hurt her even more than finding out that she was really adopted by the Darlians.

                But what about Heero? He was her strength and her guide. He showed her things that she never thought would be possible. And his presence in her life filled something that was empty inside her from the moment she met him. What would he say about Vincent's proposal?

                "He's the right man for you, you know," said a voice, almost making her jump. Relena looked at the doorway to see the President entering the room. He looked at Vincent for a moment before returning his gaze on her. "I know what you were thinking, Relena. It was all written clearly on your face," he said before Relena could say a thing.

                "When we were taken prisoners, I watched how he took care of you. And he proved his love for you by endangering his life for you."

                Relena looked away. "That's not really the question, Mr. President," she said. "I know his feelings toward me. But there's another thing that is complicated."

                The President nodded, knowing exactly what she meant or rather, who she meant. "All I can tell you, young lady, is to think about your future. Other than that, I cannot help you because I never have the chance to get to know the other one." As he was leaving, he turned. "Think of your future, Relena. And your heart."

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                Heero's eyes fluttered open. He realized that he was in a familiar surrounding and relaxed. "How are you doing?" asked a voice, gently. He turned his head to see Kylie, holding a glass of water in her hand.

                She helped him as he tried to wet his dried mouth. When he was done, she took away the glass as he asked, "How's Relena?"

                "She's alright," she answered. "You managed to bring us back in one piece and the Telrhani were all driven back to the fleet they came from." She paused. "Vincent Dupree was in critical condition but they managed to stabilize him. He could wake up at any time."

                Then, there was silence. Though Heero knew that she was not one with many words, he could almost sense there was tension in her demeanor. Something that's so terrible that it disturbed her very much. "What's wrong?" he asked, startling the girl who thought she was hiding her feelings well. But remembering that they were twins, she realized it was no use hiding anything from him.

                "Mariemaia was captured," she told him. "She was taken during the latest attack."

                Personally, Heero cared little for Treize's little girl. She was one of the reason why a painful memory came back to him. And she had also caused a lot of damages and had endangered Relena's life. Despite that, Mariemaia Khushrenada meant a lot to Kylie and he felt disturbed by her abduction.

                "Don't worry," he said. "We'll get her back."

                Kylie looked at him, her eyes cold. "I intend to make sure of that."

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                Quatre watched as Duo fussed over Heero. The Deathscythe pilot was expressing how 'upset and worried' he was when Heero ran off to the Telrhani fleet. And what really got Duo going was the fact that Heero ran off with _Kylie_ of all people. Personally, Quatre wanted to know the reason himself but it was hard to keep a straight face while Duo kept on rambling. It was almost comical to see Heero trying hard to ignore Duo's witty big mouth and at the same time trying to shut him up. Trowa and Wu Fei watched, their faces showed their amusement over Heero predicament.

                Shaking his head in amusement, Quatre exited the room to find Kylie. The girl had spent the night and almost the whole day with Heero. When they came in to see Heero, the girl decided that the room was too packed and went out. He didn't exactly know where she had gone to but had a pretty good idea where. Walking along the hallway, Quatre headed for the hangar.

                He found her staring up at Gundam Nova. Her eyes were cold and her expression was unreadable. She was sitting on the floor, hugging her knees. From the look of her damp hair and fresh clothes, he knew that she had taken a shower before going to the hangar. She didn't seemed to notice his presence until he sat next to her.

                She looked at him, startled. "Sorry to have startled you," he said, apologetically.

                She shook her head. "It's okay, I just thought that you would be with the others."

"I was but I decided that I need some air," he answered, staring up at Nova as silence swallowed them. It was he who broke it first. "I'm sorry about Mariemaia. I should've taken a good care of her while you were gone."

                Kylie shook her head. "No, it wasn't your fault. I shouldn't have left the headquarters without making sure that Mariemaia got to Earth safely. She's Treize's daughter and my responsibility. I have no right to hand over that responsibility to someone else." She shook her head in deep regret. "I should've been there for her," she said, so softly that he barely heard it.

                Despite of the mellow situation, Quatre smiled. "Now you sound like me," he commented.

                Kylie looked at him, sharply. For a moment, he was worried if she was angry at him when suddenly a tiny smile played at the corner of her lips. Her eyes softened. "I did sound like you, didn't I?" she said, smiling faintly.

                He returned her smile and then was serious. "The point is, it wasn't your fault either. You left because you thought it was the right thing to do, making sure Relena and the others returned safely. You couldn't have seen what's coming. You couldn't be at all places at the same time."

                As he said the words, Quatre felt a longing feeling to touch her and hold her. But he didn't know how she would react towards it. And their relationship was too new and there were still some things that need to be work out between them. So, he settled by just staring into her winter blue eyes. "Don't worry, we'll rescue her no matter what it takes. That's my promise," he said.

                Surprised by the strength that was showed in his blue-green eyes, Kylie nodded. She knew that no matter what happen, she will not let anything happen to the people she sworn to protect. At any cost.

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                She staggered through the rubble, confused. Everywhere she went, she only heard a cry of pain and anguish from those who survived the attack. She could see people in uniforms helping the victims by setting up food and medical temporary centers. Some were helping out by rescuing those who were trapped under fallen buildings and concrete. But everywhere she went, she could only feel pain.

                As her eyes became unfocused, her legs buckled under her. A throbbing pain shot up her head as she tried to break her fall. She put a hand on one part of her head which was throbbing badly and wondered why were her fingers sticky. She looked at her hand and saw blood.

                Then someone ran to her and started asking how she was. Before she could really comprehend the meaning of the question in her mind, that someone was leading her towards a medical center. It was then, something dawned on her. "No," she mumbled, finding hard to form the words. "No. I have to find Jack. I have to find Kyle," she looked at him. "Please take me to the Preventers."

                The young man looked at her. "We will, once we get you some help," he gently said, still helping her towards the medical camp.

                Panic started to rise inside her. This man refused to take her to Kyle! He must be one of the aliens leading her towards the slaveship. Then, she started to struggle, trying to get herself away from the man. "No! You're not going to take me to Kyle. You're one of them."

                The young man tried to get a hold of her but her flailing arms were hitting him. So, he called up for help and two medical officers came over to offer assistance. One of them were bringing a syringe. By then, she was already screaming and shouting, drawing attention from those around them. The three medical officers got hold of her as one plunged the syringe point into her arm.

                Then, the world started to spin again as darkness was swallowing her vision. Before she lost consciousness, she looked at the young man pleadingly. "Please, take me to Kyle. He's the only one who could save Jack," she said before slumping into the young man's arms.

                He looked at his two companions who shook their heads. "The people she mentioned must have been killed or taken by the aliens," said one of them, sadly. "That might explain the trauma."

                "Blast it! Why can't we drive away the aliens back to the hellhole they belong to?" said the other, angrily. He looked at the destruction around them. His companion put a hand on his shoulder, reassuringly. He knew that his friend had lost his brother in the latest raid.

                "Don't worry. We still have the Gundams."

                "Yeah but we can't do anything to help them," said his friend. "We're so useless."

                The young man picked the girl into his arms. He looked at her pretty face and then looked around him before returning his gaze back to his comrades.  "We _are_ doing something, guys," he said. "We're helping out people like this girl to move on." With that he continued his way towards the camp, his friends following him.

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                Sira knelt before the Warleader. Her wounds from the explosion were barely healing but she felt the need to report back to him. She was painfully ashamed by her failure to recapture the three prisoners. She was even more ashamed and angry at being overpowered by the two _human_ Gundam pilots. She was the warrior of the highest kind. She wasn't suppose to be defeated by _children_ no matter how skillful and resourceful they were! And so, Sira swore to take revenge on all of the Gundam pilots, particularly on the two that shamed her so greatly.

                For now, the silence of the bridge was deafening. Her heart pounded, waiting for her beloved Warleader to say something to her. To punish her at least. But he didn't say a thing. Sira could almost feel his sharp look penetrating her entire being.

                Beside her, Mylin was on her knees too. Her wound was also healing but her feeling was quite opposite to Sira's. She was very relieved that the three prisoners had escaped though she didn't know why. But there was also another feeling that bothered her, it was fear. She feared that the Warleader might have learned the truth and decided to execute her.

                Personally, she could care less about her own life. She knew that the moment she became the Emperor's Eye, she had signed a death warrant. No, Mylin feared that her sympathy to the humans might jeopardize her mission to save the Emperor's throne. And she also feared not being able to see him for the last time.

                After what seemed like eternity, Warleader Varishk sighed. "I forgive you for your incompetence," he said, his words were like thorns to Sira. He said she was incompetent! "We didn't really expect the Gundam pilots would be crazy enough to break into out fleet and board the mothership." He paused. "Go to your quarters and contemplate your actions. Come back when I ordered you to."

                Mylin exhaled in relieved. Her cover was still intact and safe. But she knew it won't be long. She didn't mind being confined to her quarters. That would just give her more time to prepare for the next phase of her plan as well as to contact her Emperor. She was missing him already.

                To Sira, it was more than a punishment. It was a torture. Never had she been sent away and dismissed by the Warleader like that. His words cut through her like knives but she knew she deserved it. And without any words, without even looking into his eyes, she followed Mylin out of the bridge.

                The Warleader watched the two young women left the bridge. His eyes empty and his face expressionless. From his left, someone stepped forward to regard him. He turned to that someone. "You have something you wish to address, K'Vai?"

                "Just this, Warleader," said the leader of the Mican Warrior. "I don't think it was entirely their fault. The two Gundam pilots that they were facing were well known by their sudden change of actions. They were known to do things that are unexpected and spontaneous."

                K'Rin nodded. "We've seen them, my lord. The two pilots were the most instable and unpredictable compared to the other Gundam pilots. The reports from Mylin stated as much and we have seen first hand how the girl pilot rammed into our slaveship. The two would be our biggest challenge yet."

                "I know," said Varishk. "But I was expecting even more from Sira and Mylin. They are suppose to be the best and if they can't even overcome the two, how can the other Telrhani soldiers?" He glanced at the exit. "Sira is my most able assistant and assassin and Mylin knew the Gundam pilots more than the rest of us. What happened earlier shouldn't have happened!"

                Realizing that what he said had some truth in it, the Mican Warrior saluted him. "Your will, Warleader."

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                Mylin stared into the screen. She was disturbed by the expression on the Emperor's face. He was not pleased by her prior actions. That, she knew but what she want to know was that if he see why she had to do it.

                He stared back at her. "You realized that, Mylin, your actions could've led to our defeat," he reminded her. "Although I have no intentions of letting the Regent take over the throne, I have every intentions of making the humans as part of our community. And your actions not only endangered the Warleader's mission but also the secret mission you've been assigned to."

                The was silence as Mylin felt as if she was torn into pieces. Never had the Emperor used that tone on her. Never. Mylin was very careful to stay on the good side of him and did everything he told her to do without any comment. Until now.

                Emperor Gylendar watched his spy. He was more surprised than displeased by her actions. He didn't know what could've made his best spy acted like this. And Mylin had proven to him in the past to be an excellent servant to the throne.

                Then he saw it. Something strange in her eyes. Something that brought her to this. "What do you think of the humans, Mylin?" he asked, his voice was quiet.

                Mylin looked at him, startled. Then, she lowered her head. "They will make excellent slaves, Your Majesty," she answered.

                "Don't lie to me!" he demanded, pounding his seat. "Tell me what you think. Truthfully."

                Mylin cringed. Clearly, her beloved Emperor was angry at her. She didn't know how else to explain what she was thinking and so, she decided to tell the truth. "I am uncertain, Your Majesty."

                Gylendar raised an eyebrow. "Uncertain?" he echoed. "Explain yourself."

                "They are very interesting creatures," she said, hesitantly. "They have this thing they called compassion which they give to everyone regardless how pitiful they seemed. And they were able to love and give great devotion to one another no matter how insignificant they are."

                Gylendar leaned forward. "What's a compassion?"

                At that, Mylin remembered Ann's words. "It's kindness, Your Majesty. The act of showing mercy to those who are weaker. It's showing how much you care for others instead of the cold and hateful feeling we showed towards our slaves."

                "That's unacceptable!" said the Emperor. "We only showed to others how much power and strength we have over them. If we don't, we would be crushed. That is our way!" But even if he said that, Mylin could distinctively detect something in his voice which she couldn't name.

                Feeling empty, Mylin nodded. "I agree, Your Majesty. Compassion has no place in our society."

                Then, there was silence.

                "Is there a second reason why you take this mission?" he asked, startling Mylin for the second time. She looked at him, seeing that his face demanded the truth. Unable to lie to him anymore, Mylin sighed.

                "I have someone who owe me," she said, her voice cold and hard. Without her realizing it, her fist were clenched as she tried to control the sudden rage. Emperor Gylendar looked at her for a long moment and then nodded. He didn't need to ask her anything any further.

                "Be careful, my faithful servant," he said, his voice was soft again. He looked at her in the eyes. "Of all my 'Eyes, you are my only hope."

                Mylin stared at the screen, disbelief. She didn't know that he had put such a great faith on her. Feeling a deep love for him, she nodded. "I will, Your Majesty," she said, her voice almost cracked at that. Then, he was gone and she was alone.

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                Mariemaia found herself walking slowly towards the detention area. At least, that's where she thought they were heading. The journey into the Telrhani fleet hadn't been all that uneventful. There were moments where the prisoners tried to fought their way through the Telrhani guards. All were killed easily. She guessed that's how the aliens disciplined their slaves.

                Now here they were, the latest capture of a Telrhani raid, making their way slowly to what will be their home for a long time. The Telrhani guards had them all lining up as they divided the prisoners into the many cells in the mothership. All were tired and emotionally drained by the feeling of helplessness because of their current predicament. But Mariemaia would be just thankful if she could have something to drink. She had faith that the Gundam pilots, particularly Kylie, would save them.

                Suddenly a little girl, the one Mariemaia rescued, stumbled, making the line of human prisoners stopped moving. One of the guards shouted at the girl, ordering her to get up but the girl was too exhausted. To Mariemaia's horror, the guard raised his whip to beat the girl!

                Quickly, she ran up to the girl and shielded her with her own body. Displeased by her action, the guard whipped her continuously while the other prisoners looked on. Mariemaia could only stifled her screams of pain, trying to show to the Telrhani that she wasn't afraid of them. Then, she could no longer feel the bursting pain as her body began to grow numb. She was about to lose consciousness when the beating stopped and there was a sound of struggle.

                She peeked over her shoulder and saw a young man grappling with the Telrhani guard. He was trying to wrench the whip away so the guard would stop beating her. But that only attracted more Telrhani guards as two of them pulled the man away from their comrade and started to beat him up too.

                Then, a Telrhani in green uniform came over. He was angry at the delay and told the guards to keep the line moving. He was displeased that his men were damaging the new slaves before they could have them start working in the mines.

                Afraid of punishment, the guards obeyed their commander and the march resumed. Mariemaia slowly got onto her feet as the young man took the little girl into his arms. He winked at them though the pain was obvious in his eyes. "Hi," he said, smiling. "Need a hand, little lady," he said to the little girl in his arms. When the girl nodded, he turned to Mariemaia. "You okay, young lady?"

                Not able to make out anything of her savior, she could only nod. The young man then took her hand when a guard barked at them. "Come on. I don't think we want to keep the line any longer." Then the three of them continued their way.

                Another guard ushered them into a cell. The young man put the girl down as she ran to hide behind Mariemaia. He chuckled. "Hey, it's okay. I don't bite," he said, gently. But his eyes were looking at Mariemaia. "What's your name?" he asked the little girl.

                "Francine," a tiny voice said, behind Mariemaia.

                The young man smiled. "That's a very beautiful name," he said.

                Mariemaia opened her mouth to introduce herself but the man shook his head. "Don't say it. I know you," he said, surprising the girl. He then looked behind her, at someone. His face was all serious. "If you value your life and others, don't ever say your name," he warned her, whispering.

                She was taken aback. But before she could ask what he meant, he told her. "One of the prisoners is watching you right now, Mariemaia. He might not be sure of who you are right now but when he does, he would use you to set a deal with the Telrhani." He paused. "I've been watching him watching you for quite some time now."

                "But why? Why would he do that?" she asked.

                The young man shook his head, sadly. "Because desperate people do desperate things. And there are many desperate people here in this cell. They might not recognize you and I intend to keep it that way."

                But Mariemaia wasn't ready to trust this guy fully. "What if you're the one who's going to turn me in? What if you were the one who's going to betray me? Why should I trust you?" she asked, cautiously. She now knew what would happen if the aliens discovered that someone who had a close relationship with the Gundam pilots was among the prisoners. They would use her the way they used Relena Darlian and the others.

                The young man smiled. "You can trust me, Mariemaia because I'm a friend of your friend. And I would do anything for her."

                Seeing the honesty in his eyes, Mariemaia found herself trusting him. Francine also showed her trust by stepping from behind her and threw her arms around his neck. Chuckling, he held the scared little girl. "Hush, little one. We'll get out of here. I promise that."

                Mariemaia sat close to him, glad for the warmth his body seemed to offer her. "Who are you?" she asked him, curiously. Her eyelids were growing heavy because of fatigue.

                The young man looked at her and extended his hand. "I'm Jack Fields."

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                Relena waited for the person to come. She knew that she needed to get the answer right away. It was the only way that could help her make her decision. She tried to plan how to ask the question but soon, she just decided to ask away directly. But now, she wished that she had plan the way she wanted to approach the subject.

                There was a knock at the door. "Come in," she said, jumping to her feet.

                The door slid open and Kylie stepped into the room. She looked at her, quizzically. "You call for me?" she asked.

                "Y…yes," said Relena, nervously. "Thank you for coming." She gestured at any empty seat. "Please, sit down."

                The girl before her sat as Relena took the seat opposite her. Kylie looked at her, waiting for her to speak. Nervously, Relena cleared her throat. "I just want to thank you for coming to our rescue," she began. But when the other girl didn't say a thing, she decided to continue. "I don't want to sound ungrateful but I'd like to know about one thing."

                Kylie just stared at her, waiting wordlessly. "I… uh… understand why Heero was there and that I was expecting him." Relena paused. "But I never expected you to be there. Why? Why were you there, Kylie?" she asked.

                "Because it is my duty to protect you," she answered, surprising Relena in return. "Treize said that you are the salvation of the human race and that I must protect you at any cost. And I intend to obey his final wishes." She then looked away. "Besides, I owe Heero for helping me out."

                At that she stood and walked to the door, leaving the surprised Relena behind. The Vice Foreign Minister quickly recovered from her surprise when her mind screamed for her to ask another matter. "Kylie," she called, her voice had a hint of helplessness in it.

                Kylie stopped at the doorway. She looked over her shoulder to see Relena staring at her hands. "Could you give me an advice?" she asked. This time, it was Kylie who was taken by surprise. Relena looked up to her. "Could you please help me make a decision?"

                Detecting the desperate tone in her voice, Kylie returned to the girl. She waited for her to continue.

                "Vincent asked me to marry him," Relena told her.

                Kylie was taken aback by that. It wasn't that she was surprised by the news. She was just surprised that Relena chose to tell _her,_ of all people. Recomposing herself, she asked, "What do you think I can do?"

                Relena took her hands. "You're the only person who is the closest to Heero. In fact, you're the only one he ever allowed to be close to him. You alone should know his feelings."

                "I see," said Kylie. "You want to know if he really loves you." She sighed. "I'm maybe the only person closest to him but there are still a lot of things he kept to himself." She looked at the desperate girl before her. "But from what I can see, Heero cares deeply for you, Relena Darlian."

                Relena was relieved to hear that. She waited for more.

                "But to say that if he really loves you…" Kylie shook her head. "I can't tell. It isn't really any of my business. Only he has the answer." Then, she looked at Relena in the eyes. "But what I can really tell you is this. Heero feared the same thing that us Gundam pilots feared the most."

                Relena was surprised at that. The Gundam pilots always struck her as fearless.

                Kylie saw the look in her eyes and nodded. "Yes, we do have our own fears," she admitted. "Our lives are so full of war and endless fighting. It's the way our lives work." She paused. "Every time we go into battle, we have the same 50-50 chance of getting killed in the battlefield. If fate is being cruel, we would survive but if fate is kind, we would be killed."

                "Given that we are always playing with death, do you think we could afford leaving the ones we care about in pain and anguish with our deaths?" asked Kylie, feeling a sudden strange emotion in her heart. Quickly she suppressed it before it overwhelmed her. "That's what Heero is concern about. That's what plaguing your friendship."

                Relena stared at her, struck by surprise. She had never thought why it never seemed to work out between her and Heero. She had never thought why Heero always left her and only to appear when she needed him. She had always thought that Heero couldn't accept her way of life but in reality, he feared his eventual death would cause her pain!

                Deciding that she had upset the girl enough, Kylie started to leave. "Think about it, Relena. Remember what I said when you make the decision of your life."

                "Wait, Kylie," Relena called out. There were still some words that she said still disturbed her. "If Quatre had been a civilian, would you have said and done the same thing?"

                Relena could tell that Kylie was disturbed by the question. Her eyes said so. But then her face hardened as her eyes grew cold. "I wouldn't even let him get near me," she answered. Then, Kylie exited the room. But Relena caught her last words. "I wouldn't let _death_ touch him _even_ now."

                Struck by what she had just heard, Relena sat down. She had never thought that the Gundam pilots thought of their lives as a curse and deaths as a gift. And that made her choice easier but made her decision-making more painful than ever.

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                Kylie walked back to the hangar purposefully. Her mind went back to her conversation with Relena. She knew that she had just told her to accept Vincent's proposal. And she even meant what she said about not letting death touch Quatre. In fact, she wouldn't even let death touch Heero too! His survival would be important to ensure peace among mankind. He and the rest of the Gundam pilots. And Kylie would trade her life to make sure of it.

                She found Heero in the hangar, with Wing Zero. As she entered, he looked up to her. "You should be in bed," she commented, seeing how pale his face was. "You still don't look good."

                Heero grunted as an answer and continued to work.

                "Vincent Dupree asked her to marry him, you know," she said. She managed to catch his startled look before he recovered. Then, she continued, "She asked about your feelings."

                Heero kept on working. "What did you tell her?" he asked.

                "What you would tell her. That we might not live long enough to start a family," she answered, walking over to him.

                He nodded. "Thank you," he said, approving her actions. He sat and looked up at Wing Zero. "I have no place in her life."

                Kylie settled next to him. Then, to his surprise, she put a hand on his and stared at him. There's pain in her eyes and for the first time, Heero could see the glimpse of the twin sister he would have had if their fates had been different. She stared into his eyes for a few seconds.

                "All this have taught me one thing, my brother," she whispered. "That it is better to die let known of a love than to live a thousand years not to tell love at all." She paused, thinking of a certain blond pilot. "And I'm speaking for the both of us."

                Heero felt pain growing inside him too. But quickly, he suppressed it. He squeezed his sister's hand reassuringly. Never in his life had he been so thankful to have someone whom he could share his pain with. He stared into her eyes. "Which is why we won't live that long," he said in a flat tone. "Which is why death is our ultimate fate."

No verbal communication was needed then. Both could feel each other's pain. But Heero failed to sense Kylie's growing determination to sacrifice her life for the survival of her twin brother.

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                Relena jumped as soon as his eyes fluttered open. For a moment he looked around him in confusion as his mind started to make sense of things. "How are you feeling?" she asked, gently.

                Immediately, the memory came. He bolted. "What happened? Did we get out safely?" he asked, looking at her. "Are you alright?" As soon as he said that, a sharp pain went through him and he gasped. Relena quickly held him before he could fall off the bed.

                "Calm down," she said, pushing him gently back to the pillow. "Yes, we made it and I'm alright. We're at the Preventer headquarters now." She was touched by his concern for her.

                Vincent closed his eyes and swallowed. His mouth felt like a desert. Then, Relena pressed a glass of water onto his lips. "Here, drink this," she said. He took a few gulps before she took the glass away. Somehow, the cold water made him feel even better.

                "How long was I out?" he asked, his voice still hoarse.

                "Three days, almost four," she answered.

                "Where's everyone?" he asked, seeing that Relena was the only one there.

                Relena sighed. "They're attending a flash meeting. They're deciding whether to take the fight to the Telrhani fleet or keep on holding our stand here," she answered.

                "They're going to attack the Telrhani?"

                "That's what the Gundam pilots wanted. They're determined to destroy the Telrhani and rescue the prisoners." She sounded almost defeated as she answered him.

                Vincent closed his eyes in acceptance. "I guess there's no way for a peaceful solution in this, huh?"

                "I guess not," she said. "But I pray we find out more about the Telrhani before we attack them. Our lives depend on it."

                He took her hand and squeezed it. "They will, Relena. You told me once, remember? The Gundam pilots could make the impossible possible. It's time we showed them our faith in them," he said, gently.

                Relena could only remained silent.

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                It's been hours since they assembled. They've come up with possible strategies to attack the Telrhani. But without knowing the essential information on the Telrhani, even the greatest strategy couldn't ensure their victory. And that's what the Gundam pilots wanted the most. To end the battles before more were sacrificed.

                "My guess would be that they keep all the prisoners in the flagships," said a Preventer agent. "The slaveships are used to only collect the prisoners and bring them back to the main fleet near Pluto."

                "I guess it's safe to assume that," said Sally. "But what I'm more concern about is what happen when all the flagships were filled with prisoners? They can't seriously be thinking of keeping billions of people in the flagships in a long term and keep on coming at us."

                "No," said Trowa, suddenly. He had been quiet the whole time. "I have a very strong feeling that the Telrhani will be launching their final war on us anytime soon."

                That made everyone but the Gundam pilots startled. Noin looked at him. "Are you sure? Aren't they declaring war on us right now?"

                "No, not really," said Quatre. "What they're doing right now was only testing our defenses. And distracting us from rescuing the prisoners. They're pressing us to take our stand here so they could plan how to make the final assault on us."

                "Which was why they were taken by surprise when Hero and Kylie managed to sneak through their defenses," said Zechs, glancing at their way. "And I have the feeling that we might not be able to do that again since they'd most probably tighten their defenses now."

                Hilde frowned. "But how are they going to launch the final attack with some of the flagships filled with prisoners? Won't that be a waste if the flagships were destroyed in the attack?"

                "Those flagship aren't going anywhere," said Heero. Again, the others were startled.

                "Then, how are they going to launch the final attack if the flagships stayed? Are they planning to conquer us with the Mican Warriors and their fighters?" asked one of the Preventer agent.

                Wu Fei looked at him. "Why not?"

                "It's absurd," said the agent they knew as Randy.

                "It's not," said Kylie. "Besides, there is another way they could conquer us."

                The agent looked at her. "How?"

                "Flagships," she answered.

                That made the agent even more confused. "But you just said…"

                Kylie looked at Lady Une who was looking at the Gundam pilots. Realization was starting to hit her. "Are you saying…"

                Duo nodded. "That's the only way."

                "The only way what, Duo?" asked Hilde, looking at him.

                Dorothy also got it as she looked at them. "They're bringing in more!" she breathe.

                At that very moment the comm. chimed. Lady Une pressed a button as a young agent appeared on the screen. "What is it?" she asked.

                There was a look of confusion on the agent's face but she answered her officer's question. "It's the Telrhani fleet, ma'am," she said, her eyes wide. "The number of Telrhani fleet seemed to have grown in the last hour."

                "Send the visual to this room, Lisa," Lady Une ordered. In a few seconds, the screen flickered as they all studied the image.

                "Gods!" said Preventer agent Randy. He was starting to sweat. "How did they grew in number so fast?"

                "We never detect anything coming from beyond the orbit of Pluto," Lisa reported. "They're just there."

                "That's their support flagships, alright," said Sally. "The question is, how did they get them here without us detecting them?"

                "No. The real question is, how did they get here in the first place?" Duo pointed out. "We never detected anything coming from beyond Pluto. We knew that they are here when they are _already_ here."

                "And when we solve that, we will finally know where they come from," said Quatre.

                "And judging from their number, they're preparing for the final attack anytime soon," said Heero. "And we know exactly where they're targeting."

                Noin looked at the image and nodded. "Earth."

                The door burst in as McGarth walked in with some of his men. "Nobody's going to attack Earth on my watch," he declared, walking up to Lady Une. "Not while I'm alive!"

                "General, what a surprise! What are you doing here?" said Lady Une with a dry note in her voice.

                "Can the pleasantries, colonel," he said, gruffly. "I don't want to be here anymore than you want to see me here." He looked at her carefully. "But you can rest assured now, Colonel Une, because I'm making the decisions now."

                "What!" Noin stood up as did the other Preventer agents.

                McGarth looked at her. "That's right, Lieutenant Noin. I'm in charge of this operation now and you will have to do exactly what I tell you to do from now on."

                "But…" a Preventer agent protested.

                "An alien race is attacking us and we've seen enough of the Preventer's _fine_ job," he said, with a note of mockery in his voice.

                Randy stood up. "Just wait a second! We've done all we can to keep the colonies and Earth safe, you know. And we're doing a damn fine job at it," he protested. The other Preventer agents looked at McGarth, challenging him.

                The Defense General looked at them, the mocking look was still on his face. "Yeah, you did a fine job alright," he sneered. "You let the President and the Vice Foreign Minister being kidnapped and thousands more enslaved."

                "But we got the President and his party back in one piece," said an agent. "And we have plans how to rescue the prisoners."

                "No," said McGarth, pointedly. "_You_ didn't rescue the President. You used the _Gundam pilots_ to do _your_ job. You've let loose some uncontrollable and dangerous juveniles into the alien's territory. Did you forget that _they're_ the ones who start this damn war?"

                He shook his head. "No. The ESUN's council have seen your _fine_ job and decided that it wasn't fine enough." He looked at Lady Une. "I am to take in charge of the whole operation and make sure that the Preventers won't screw up again. This is a war and it takes a military leader to ensure our victory, not some idealist woman," he said, purposely insulted her.

                Seeing that the order came from the ESUN itself, Lady Une didn't have any choice. Calmly, she nodded, ignoring the look of disbelief from her agents. "If you say so, General. My agents will give you their full cooperation," she said.

                Suddenly, Heero stood up. "In that case, we will be leaving," he said as the other Gundam pilots stood up as well. "We're no longer needed here it seems." He looked at Lady Une. "We only work better with the six of us," he said, leaving out Zechs in the count since he's a Preventer.

                Lady Une looked at Kylie for a moment before nodded. The six of them were about to make their exit when suddenly McGarth stopped them. "Not so fast, Gundam pilots," he said. He had finally met the people he had longed to take into custody.

                Neither pilots looked at him but Sally could see them tensed. "You are dangerous criminals and should be taken into custody a long time ago. You've done a lot of damages for all these years and I'm not about to let you go now," said McGarth. He signaled his men. "Take them to the brig. We can't let these menace loose."

                The other Gundam pilots let McGarth's men took them in except one. "Take your hands off me," Kylie snapped, giving the one holding her the coldest and most dangerous look ever. Startled, he took a step back and looked at his officer.

                Kylie looked at McGarth. "Let them go before you're sorry," she threatened, her voice all icy.

                But McGarth didn't take heed of her warning. He signaled two of his men to restrain her. But before the two could even get to her, Heero and the others were already throwing their restrainers off as she did the same to hers and pointed a gun at McGarth.

                "_That_ wasn't a request, McGarth," she said, her hatred for him was clearly shown. "Maybe these Gundam pilots have enough honor not to shoot a defenseless man point blank but I'm a killer. I could give a damn about honor," she snapped.

                "Execute her," said McGarth to the rest of his men, clearly startled. The men who had been pointing their guns at her took aim. Lady Une, Sally, Noin and Zechs watched as the rest of the Gundam pilots were ready to join in.

                "That's enough!" said another voice, stopping McGarth's men in time. The President entered with Relena by his side. Her eyes widened when she saw the guns pointing at the Gundam pilots but fought the urge to run to Heero, seeing how pale he still look from his injuries.

                The President looked at McGarth. "You are send here _not_ to take charge of anything but your own men," he said, firmly. "You're here to work _with_ Lady Une's Preventers." He looked at everyone in the room. "If anything, _I'm_ in charge," he said, pointedly.

                Randy looked at him, disbelief. "Does that mean…?"

                "Yes, I'm going to stay here until all of this is over," he said, with a note of deep authority. "All decision should come through _me_."

                "That's fine," said Trowa. "It's exactly how it should be."

                "But we're still insisting our independence from you," said Quatre, looking at Lady Une.

                That made the President surprised. "But why? McGarth won't be arresting you for now." He glanced at the man.

                Quatre shook his head. "It's more appropriate this way. We're still considered as criminals by some of your delegates. It won't give you a good reputation to let us 'dangerous juveniles' to work with the respectable ESUN. Earth and space had just achieved the peace that we all wanted. Let's not smear the name of the organization that brought us together."

                Seeing that what they were doing was for the sake of formality, he nodded. "Granted," he said, noticing McGarth's protesting glare. "But you will keep track with Lady Une. You might be professionals but you're still underage. I don't want to feel responsible for causing your death."

                At that Noin almost smile. It was hard to think these kids as underage since they all had the looks of someone far, far older reflected in their eyes. But then again, one look at them again made her realized that they were, in fact, just kids.

                Heero nodded in agreement. The President had just given them the permission to work with Lady Une secretly. Without any word, he led the six of them out of the room. Heero didn't even spare a glance at Relena who was looking at him, concerned.

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	11. Chapter 11: Betrayal

**DISCLAIMER: Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!☺**

**TIMELINE: The story mostly takes place after Endless Waltz. To be more precise, one year after Endless Waltz. That means two years after my very own Treize's Revenge series.**

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST XI: BETRAYAL. 

By Arayelle Lynn.

                It had been three days since they had been taken on the alien mothership. During that time, Mariemaia got to know most of the people who were sharing the cell with her. She recognized some of them from the circus Lady Une used to take her to a year ago and counted them as friends. As for the others, she avoided crossing paths with them, seeing that they would either stare at her suspiciously or would keep to themselves.

                But of all people, she felt most comfortable with Francine and Jack. Especially Jack. She had recognized his name right away. She knew that he had been Kylie's friend and knew that she could trust him with her life. And Jack had been very good to both girls. He single-handedly took care of her and Francine like a brother would with a little sister. He became the source of strength for the two girls as they went through their prisoner life. Mariemaia was very glad that she at last found someone who vaguely resembled her late father, Treize Khushrenada.

                "Time to eat, Marie," he said, gently nudging her off her thoughts. It had taken her a while to get used to her new name but luckily, her new name wasn't that far from her original one. It had been Jack's idea because they needed to hide her identity from everyone. Especially the Telrhanis.

                Mariemaia took the bowl from Jack and started to eat. Whatever it was, it tasted bland but good enough for someone as hungry as she was. As she ate, she watched the other prisoners taking the food from the guards at the steel bar.

                "A penny for your thoughts?" said Jack, breaking her reverie. He was watching them eat as he always did. Jack Fields would only eat once the girls had finished their food and would offer his portion if they were still hungry.

Mariemaia looked at him and shook her head. "It was nothing. I was just thinking about home," she whispered so Francine wouldn't hear her. The little girl was still awfully sensitive at the mention of home. They heard from a prisoner that her mother was killed when some rubble fell on top of her.

                "Well, don't be thinking too hard on it," he said, winking. "Pretty soon you'll be missing the harsh hospitality of the Telrhani when we get back," he joked, trying to make her feel better. "After all, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity." 

                But Mariemaia didn't laugh or smile this time. Instead she sighed. "_If we get back, Jack. I'm not even sure we can."_

                At that Jack gripped her shoulder, firmly. He stared at her in the eye. "We _will get back, Mariemaia. Trust in Kyle. He… she will rescue us. We both know she'll never rest until she get us back home." He paused. "Have faith," he said as she nodded._

                Then, he looked away. Though he had sounded very sure, something inside him seemed to doubt his words. There was something inside him that's telling him that he won't be seeing Amy again. And that thought itself filled him with dread.

                "I miss you, Amy," he whispered, swallowing the heaviness inside. "Where are you now? Are you safe? Have you found Kyle yet?"

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                The sound of a sobbing cry continued but all she could see was total darkness. She ran around the darkness, hoping that she could find where the sound came from or how to escape the never-ending darkness. As she ran, her heart started to heave for air as if she had been running for miles and her legs were starting to buckle under her. But she didn't care. She must find where the sound was coming from.

                Suddenly, she saw a faint light coming from her left. She quickly made her way towards the light and the sound started to become clearer and louder. Her heart thumped even faster as she began to recognize the darkness around her. She had been there before but when?

                Then she stopped. Before her, a little girl with dark hair was hugging her knees. She was all bruised and filthy. Although her face was buried in her arms and knees, she could still hear the little girl crying. Crying for her long gone mother and father.

                Yes. She had been here before.

                Suddenly, the little girl looked up. For a moment their eyes met. And like a mirror, she saw herself in the little girl's eyes. And she knew that those eyes would never be warm again. That those eyes would always remain cold and heartless for the rest of the little girl's life.

                Then, there was a scraping sound and their gazes were broken. From the shadows, something was moving. They looked around them, couldn't determine where that something were. She was about to stand before the little girl to protect her when suddenly that something jumped from the shadow and onto the little girl, devouring her. She tried to save the girl but her feet seemed to be rooted to the floor.

                Sounds of screaming and tearing rang in her ears until they hurt her. She began to scream, pleading for the sounds to cease and the darkness to go away. But the darkness seemed determined to torment her more. A vision of the past started to play in her mind as the sounds of screaming and tearing complimented the vision. It was then something broke in her and her soul seemed to scream for her death.

                Then it stopped. The vision ended, leaving her lying on the floor, sobbing. Her whole body shook as if the cold came from inside her, not from the outside. She felt pains all over her body, her soul. Her mind were all jumbled and mixed as she struggled to push herself up from the floor. The little girl was no longer there and so was the scary black thing. But the darkness stayed as she finally staggered on it her feet.

                Suddenly, the black thing jumped at her and she started to scream…

                Kylie bolted. Her chest burned for air and she was drenched with sweat. For a moment, her mind was in chaos. Then, remembering the nightmare, a sob suddenly escaped her lips as she buried her head in her knees. Her body shook as she tried to gain control of her emotion.

                And she did. For the thousandth times, she managed to keep the tears from crumbling the mental walls she had put around to protect herself. After truly making sure she was well composed, she walked over to the sink and washed her face.

                She looked at herself in the mirror. Yes, she recognized the little girl in her dream. She had been there every time Kylie closed her eyes. But only until recently, only after she used the Zero system, had she started to see the shadow. And only now she realized what had happened to her years ago. Only now it told her that she truly had nothing more to live for.

                She glanced at the digital watch. It was 4.40 a.m. Exactly the time when she would start her day. She got dressed and made her way to the hanger. Her heart was determined and her mind was set. If she had nothing more to live for, she could at least make sure others had _something they__ could live for._

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                From the minute Jack opened his eyes that morning, he knew something would go terribly wrong. And so, he kept his eyes and ears opened. He noticed that the spaceship they were in was suddenly filled with activity. He later realized that the aliens had been busy since two days ago. He took a moment to reprimand himself for failing to detect that much earlier. But then he reminded himself that he wasn't Kyle.

                However, one moment later, he realized that the queasy feeling hadn't come from the activities outside at all. It came from _inside the cell. And quickly, he turned his attention back to the man he had been watching earlier. To his dread, the man was watching Mariemaia intently._

                But before he could distract the man, Jack saw his eyes widened as a look of recognition crossed his face. Instantly, Jack knew that there will be trouble so he decided to silent the man for good. Somehow, Mariemaia must've seen him tensed. She pulled his arm.

                "What's wrong?" she asked, concern filled her eyes.

                Jack saw the man's eyes strayed on his, as they were both locked in a glare. The man was looking at him, mockingly. His lips curved into an evil smile, as he seemed to be thinking of what he would do with the discovery.

                Jack's fingers balled into a fist.

                "Jack?" asked Mariemaia.

                His eyes were on the man but he addressed his words to Mariemaia. "Stay here and take care of Francine." He pried her fingers off his arm. Then, he started towards the man. His mind was planning the way to beat the man into a pulp as a warning to keep his mouth shut.

                But he never got to him. The cell door suddenly swung open and the Telrhani guards entered. They then began separating the prisoners in the cell, Jack and the man included.

                As they were being ushered to the door, the man started to scream and shout. He pointed at Mariemaia and shouted to a Telrhani guard. "There! There's a person your Warleader would love to get his hands on. She's Mariemaia, the foster child of Lady Une, head of the Preventer."

                Rage filled his whole being for the first time in his life. Jack lunged for the man, punching him in the mouth. As the man went down, Jack jumped on top of him and started to beat him up. The Telrhani guards tried to pull him away but when Jack was stubborn, they started to beat him up as well.

                "Stop this!" said a very commanding voice. The beatings stopped as Jack was pulled onto his feet. The woman, who stopped the chaos, looked at him and then at the man on the floor. "What's the meaning of this?"

                A guard stepped forward, bowing in respect. "That man claimed that that girl is important to the Preventers. He said that she's Mariemaia, the fosterling of Lady Une, head of Preventer," he reported.

                She looked at the man on the floor. "Is that true?"

                "Yes. In fact, I heard she's pretty close with the Gundam pilots."

                Something flashed in her eyes then. And she looked at Jack next. "And who's he?"

                "He's the one protecting the girl." The man looked at Jack. "Don't worry, he's nobody."

                The woman gave him a look. "_I will decide who's somebody and nobody here," she said, firmly. There was something dangerous about the woman that Jack cannot place._

                She went to Mariemaia, who was holding Francine. She squatted before her and looked at her in the eye. "And who are you, girl?" she asked, her voice was cold. Mariemaia shuddered.

                "I'm Marie," she answered, firmly.

                The woman looked at her for a moment. Then she signaled the guards. "Take her away. The Warleader would like to hear about this," she said, seeing through the lie. 

                "No!" Jack growled, struggling to free himself. Francine was starting to cry as the guards tried to separate the girls but they refused to let go of each other. A few of the prisoners went to help the girls, only to be beaten by the guards. The woman, starting to tire of the delay, wrenched Francine away from Mariemaia and nearly thrown her to the walls.

                Then, the guards took a hold of Mariemaia as she struggled to get to Francine who was screaming. Jack finally broken free from his restrainers but with lightning movement, the woman lashed a kick at his chest. And Jack was unconscious before he even hit the floor.

                "Jack!" Mariemaia exclaimed, trying to get to him but she was being led away. Soon, she was gone.

                The woman looked at the rest of the guards and threw the crying little girl at them. "Take them away," she ordered, gesturing at Jack who was on the floor. "We can't delay the transfer anymore. We must send these slaves back to our motherworld before the final attack."

                The guards obeyed her as they picked up Jack and rounded up the rest of the prisoners they wanted. The woman walked towards the other man. "You had just betrayed one of your own. What do you expect from this betrayal?" she asked him.

                The man bowed at her. "Just my release. Or maybe a better future once we reach your motherworld."

                The woman nodded, knowing exactly what the man was asking. "In that case, follow me. The Warleader might have something to reward you with for your excellent service," she said, turning and walking out of the detention hall. The man followed her with her personal guards flanking him.

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                When a little girl was brought into the bridge, Mylin was startled. Finally, her confinement was lifted and Varishk called for her service. But before he could tell her anything, the guards appeared with a human girl. Warleader Varishk looked at the girl and then the guards.

                "What's the meaning of this?" he demanded.

                The guards looked at each other, uneasily. They didn't know how to explain what had happened.

                "Let me explain, sir," said a voice as Sira entered the bridge with a human male. She saluted him before gesturing at the little girl. "This girl is Mariemaia Khushrenada. The foster child of Lady Une, head of Preventer. And close friends to the Gundam pilots." At that, the Mican warrior looked at her.

                Varishk stared at the girl. Then he glanced at the other woman. "Mylin. You've been on Earth during the crisis they called Operation Meteor. Is this the infamous Mariemaia Khushrenada?" he asked.

                Mylin looked at the girl. To her surprise, the girl stared back at her, her blue eyes showing no fear. For a moment, Mylin was torn. Her heart was telling her to deny it but her mind was telling her to tell the truth. "Yes," she found herself saying.

                The Warleader smiled. "Good. It seemed that we have a bargaining chip," he said, looking at Sira. "Good work." Then his eyes landed on the human man. "Who is he?"

                "The man who reveal the girl's identity to us," said Sira. "He was expecting a reward."

                Varishk looked at the man. "You want a reward?" he asked as the human nodded, eagerly.  Then, he nodded. "Yes, you will have your reward," he said, as a plan began to form in his mind. He then looked at Sira. "Looks like you haven't lost your touch yet, my Sira. We could distract the Preventers long enough while we make the necessary preparations for the final assault."

                Sensing that her beloved had a plan, Sira stared back at him and smiled. She turned to the man at the comm. "Contact the Preventers right away," she ordered, knowing exactly what the Warleader had in mind.

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                When the call came, the Gundam pilots were in the lounge with Lady Une. They were just relaxing after hours of making the necessary repairs on their Gundams as well as preparing for the final battle. Hilde, Sally, Dorothy, Zechs and Noin were also there, discussing strategies for the upcoming battle as Catherine babysat Anne while her grandfather was handling a frustrated McGarth.

                "Here," said Quatre, handing Kylie a glass of juice. She took it with a grateful smile and took a sip. Then, she continued staring at the blueprint of Nova, still trying to figure out how to make her Gundam more efficient.

                Then Relena entered, supporting a very pale Vincent. Heero, who was sitting on the sofa, glanced up. "What are you doing here?" he asked, looking particularly at Vincent. Relena shrugged and answered, "He insists on seeing you. Said he couldn't rest while there's a war going on."

                "Well, he's got to get used to it," said Heero, closing his eyes.

                Vincent smiled. "Look who's talking," he said, noticing how pale and tired Heero looked. "You should be in bed too, you know."

                Duo snorted. "Even if you tell him that a thousandth times, he wouldn't even listen to you," he said. Judging from the tone of his voice, Vincent could make a guess that Duo _had been telling Heero that for a thousandth times. He chuckled in amusement. He always liked the humorous pilot best._

                "Keep your voice down, will you?" said Heero, his eyes still close. "I'm trying to catch a nap."

                At the look of Duo's face, Vincent laughed. But before any of them could say a thing, the comm beeped. "Ma'am," Preventer agent Lisa appeared on the vidscreen. There was an alarm look on her face.

                "What is it?" asked Lady Une.

                "It's the Telrhani," said Agent Lisa. "They're hailing us."

                That brought the attention of all those in the room. Heero, Duo and Trowa stood up from the sofa while Kylie, Quatre and Wu Fei pushed themselves off the wall they had been leaning on. They all stared at the screen as Warleader Varishk appeared on it.

                He regarded at them for a moment. "Good, you're all here." He then looked at Lady Une and nodded. "And you're here as well. That's very convenient considering that I have an interesting proposition for you."

                "What is it?" asked a new voice. McGarth and the President entered the room, looking at the vidscreen. "What's your _interesting proposition, Varishk?" asked the President, quietly._

                "Ah, Mr. President. Glad to see you well," said the Warleader. "Did you enjoyed our hospitality?" But without waiting for an answer, he returned his gaze on Lady Une. "I have something that is precious to you," he said, as Mariemaia came into view.

                Lady Une gasped as Quatre saw Kylie's grip on the glass tightened. "You were so determined to protect your precious Gundam pilots that it resulted to this consequence," he said, gesturing at a human man to come forward. "This man revealed the girl's identity to us and he will be rewarded for it."

                Without any warning, the Warleader twisted the man's head until his neck snapped. Catherine gasped and held onto Anne, trying to comfort her as much as herself. The others just looked at the dead man, surprised.

                The Warleader dropped the body. "This is your last chance. Surrender the Gundam pilots or we will kill the prisoners, starting with Miss Mariemaia here." He looked at Lady Une. "Choose wisely."

                Then the screen went blank.

                Silence was deafening as each was trying to recover. Her knees weak, Lady Une slumped on the sofa, muttering her apologies to the late Treize Khushrenada. Sally sat next to her and held the woman until she calmed. Zechs was wearing a look of anger they've never seen him display before. It was then that they realized that Treize's daughter held a significant part in his life.

                The others were looking at each other, deeply concerned. There was a dangerous look in the Warleader's eyes when he killed the traitor and they each knew he meant what he said. But none of them knew what to do anymore.

                Suddenly they heard something broke as Quatre cried out. They turned to see Kylie's bleeding hand as the broken glass cut into her flesh. She looked at it, surprised to find the glass in pieces. "Sorry," she muttered to Quatre, dropping the pieces into the nearest trashcan. She didn't know that in her rage, her grip had tightened so much on the glass that it broke.

                Then, without any word, she walked out of the room. "Kylie!" Quatre called out, stopping her in the hallway. She looked at him, her face was blank but there was something in her eyes that he couldn't tell. Something more than rage.

                "Where are you going?" he asked, concerned.

                She shrugged. "Back to work. There's a battle coming and I want to be ready," she said. Then, she was gone. But they all managed to see her fist balled and her jaw set. They immediately knew that she was determined to fight the Telrhani even if it meant sacrificing Mariemaia's life.

                Heero nodded. "She's right. We should get back to work," he said, walking out. Trowa, Wu Fei and Duo followed him silently. Quatre hesitated, glancing back at the people in the lounge.

                "We'll be fine, Quatre," said Sally, reassuringly. "Besides, somebody has to take care of her cuts. She may let you get to them."

                Knowing exactly what she meant, he nodded and left to give whatever comfort he could muster to his teammates.

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                Everyone was working late that night. Lady Une couldn't force herself to sleep, thinking of Mariemaia's fate so she spent most of the time working with her agents, McGarth and the President on their battle plan. Noin and Sally were still trying to find out more information on the Telrhani's fleet by going through the data Noin and Zechs collected again, with Hilde and Dorothy's help.

                The Gundam pilots and Zechs were busy updating their Gundams, making sure that they were in top shape. They had been working together silently in the hangar, without even taking a rest or even letting Howard and his engineers help them. Howard understood their need for privacy and the distractions and so he supervised the regular maintenance on the Preventers' mobile suits and Dorothy's mobile dolls in the other hangars.

                It was already 2 in the morning when Dorothy, Catherine, Hilde and Noin came, bringing in some food for the pilots. Catherine went to Trowa immediately when she spotted him. "Come on, Trowa. You gotta take a break," she said, gently touching his shoulder.

                He looked up, startled. "Oh, it's you Catherine," he said, glancing at his watch. "What are you doing still up? It's late."

                Catherine had to smile at him. "Making sure my little brother rest and _eat properly," she said, handing him a bowl of stew. Smiling at her gratefully, Trowa wiped his greasy hands and settled down next to her. His eyes watching the others._

                Heero and Wu Fei were still working on their Gundams, ignoring the food that was placed for them. Duo was sitting comfortably, with Hilde giving him a massage. Zechs was eating his stew with Noin watching him intently. Dorothy was tending to Quatre who smiled gratefully when she handed him his food. Kylie was nowhere to be found, Trowa discovered surprisingly. He hadn't noticed when the girl left the hangar.

                Catherine watched Dorothy wiped a speck of dirt on Quatre's face as she said something that made the blond pilot smiled. "Looks like Quatre managed to melt yet another cold heart with his kindness," she commented.

                Trowa looked at her, startled. Then, he returned his gaze back to Quatre and Dorothy and realized what she meant by that comment. But as he watched them, a great sadness filled his heart as he thought about his own heart. And his own happiness.

                Suddenly, Kylie reappeared, carrying a container in her hand. Immediately, Dorothy and Quatre's conversation ceased as the blond girl started to move away from him. Dorothy then told Kylie where she had placed her food and then quickly walked out before the other girl could say a thing. 

Then, Kylie walked over to Nova without any word and climbed into the cockpit. Then, they heard her rummaging through the circuitry. Curiously, Quatre went over to her. "What are you planning to do?" he asked, looking at the mysterious container. Despite her bandaged right hand, Kylie could still handle the circuitry expertly.

                She didn't looked at him when she answered his question. "I'm installing the self-detonation device in Nova," she said, her tone somehow mirrored Heero's. "I'm also adding the destructive power to ensure total destruction when I use the self-destruct mechanism."

                That made Quatre surprised. Even Heero and Wu Fei stopped working and were staring at her. And Lady Une, who had just stepped in, looked at her in horror. The whole hangar seemed to plunge into silence again.

                "Don't worry," said Kylie, trying to reassure them. "I'm not planning to die _that easily." She looked pointedly at Lady Une, knowing that the woman knew what she was talking about. Then she looked at Quatre. "I'm programming a 15 seconds delay from the point of meltdown so I have time to get away safely."_

                "15 seconds!" Quatre exclaimed. "But that _won't be enough for you to get away safely. You could be killed."_

                Kylie looked at him. Her eyes deeply bore into his. "Quatre, if I were to die, I rather die in battle with honor," she said, gently. Then she winked. "Besides, I've survived explosions, getting shots and more than this. I'm very sure that I will survive this one," she said, lightly. "Anyway, maybe I won't even have to use the self-destruct system."

                Surprised by her tone, Quatre couldn't say a thing. But Kylie sensed that the others didn't buy what she said and so she looked at them, particularly at Heero. "Don't worry about me," she said to them. "Now I have something to come back to." She gestured at Quatre, telling them that she will be back for him. Then, she returned to her work. As far as she was concerned, the matter was settled.

                The others then returned to work too. Quatre hesitated for a moment before making his way back to Sandrock. But before he could do so, Kylie stopped him. "Quatre," she said, quietly. Her eyes were on the circuitry that she was working on. "In two days time, it's the day of your birth, right?" she asked, quietly.

                Surprised, he nodded. "Yeah. But how did you know that?" he asked. He had never told anyone that before. Not even his Maganac friends, though he's pretty sure they knew it too.

                "I asked around," Kylie answered, refusing to give him the answer. Then, she stopped talking and went back to work. Deciding that their conversation was over, Quatre went back to Sandrock and continued to work.

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                "We better take our rest now," said a voice, startling everyone in the hangar. They all looked at the person who broke the thick silence. Heero, in his part, looked back at them. "There's no point exhausting ourselves before the final battle begin," he continued.

                Duo checked the time and almost cursed himself. They had been working non-stop for more than 24 hours! Now, it was already time for breakfast, according to the sudden growl in his stomachs. "Yeah, you're right," he admitted. "Besides, we can continue later."

                "Not me," said Quatre, putting away a wrench. "I'm all done." 

                "What!" Duo exclaimed, noticing that the others were putting away their tools as well. "All of you?" he asked, disbelief.

                Trowa looked at him and shrugged. Heero, Zechs, Wu Fei and Kylie just ignored him. They continued storing their tools. Quatre looked at Duo, apologetically. "I guess they're done too."

                "Is there anyone here who have not finish their modifications?" asked Duo, desperately. He looked at Kylie who was the only one with extensive modifications. But the girl didn't even bother to look at him.

                "I guess not," Duo muttered, thinking why it had taken him the longest to make the simplest modification to his Gundam. Then remembering Hilde's heavenly massages, he groaned. 'So that's the reason,' he thought.

Quatre chuckled. He then wiped the sweat that trickled down his forehead. The hangar was too warm a place to be in for a long time. Luckily, Heero and Wu Fei had on their tanktops. Trowa was already shirtless, being at the very deep end of the hangar where it was the warmest and Duo and Zechs were in their t-shirts. Quatre was more comfortable in his thin shirt so the heat didn't really bother him.

                But the only person who wasn't affected by the heat was Kylie. She was still wearing her thick, long-sleeved shirt. If it weren't for the beads of sweat on her forehead, Duo would have to believe that she was indeed the ice queen. He also had noticed that the girl assassin always dress fully, never neglected to cover a single area of skin except for her face and hands. But then again, Duo had to remind himself that the girl was not much of a fashion freak.

                "Uh, Duo," said Quatre. "You might want to stop now."

                His thoughts broken, Duo realized that the others were staring at him. At first he wondered why but when a sudden growl echoed throughout the hangar, his question was answered. He blushed, clutching his stomach. "I guess you're right then." He gathered his things while Quatre and Trowa waited for him.

                Wu Fei was just following Heero and Zechs out of the hangar when suddenly he heard a chime coming from his Gundam. After exchanging glances with Heero and Zechs, he ran back to Nataku and leapt towards the cockpit. There, he flipped a switch as a face appeared on the screen.

                It was Mylin.

                "You didn't expect to see me again, did you?" said the alien. But before he could respond, she continued. "Never mind. The situation has changed quite drastically over these past few hours."

                "That's obvious," said Wu Fei, sarcastically.

                Mylin frowned. "Don't hold me in contempt, human. It was your own kind that betrayed your friend. If I had known earlier that she was among the prisoners, I would have kept things quiet and would wait for your daring _infiltrators," she said, referring to Heero and Kylie._

                "But it's too late now," she continued. "The deed is done and the Warleader is preparing to attack. As it stands, he has the advantage since your government are now in disorder caused by this new development." She stared at him. "You do know that his plan was only to distract you with Mariemaia's predicament, don't you?"

                "We figured as much," said Wu Fei. "Which is why we're here with our Gundams instead of at the conference table."

                "When is the Warleader attacking?" Heero asked, cutting the chatter.

                Mylin rolled her eyes. "That would be giving you the easy way out, wouldn't it?" she said. "Never mind that. You don't need to know when he'll be attacking. _I don't even know when. He and Sira had been keeping things tighter than usual."_

                "Then why are you here? To gloat?" asked Wu Fei.

                She frowned, angrily. "What did you say? _My contacting you now has already officially, branded me a traitor. I can't even help that little girl because Sira wouldn't even let me get near her. Even now, the Warleader refused to give me even the slightest detail of the coming battle. So don't you __dare say I'm enjoying my being here."_

                That put a silence wall between them. They realized that the alien girl had no place anywhere now. Not even with her own people. And all because of her relation with the president's granddaughter. And maybe her sympathy towards the humans.

                "Anyway," she said, brushing away any apologies. "Since I already am a traitor. I decided that I should live my life as that."

                "Meaning?" asked Wu Fei.

                Mylin looked at him. "I'm sending you the information you required. It's already being downloaded in your Gundam's database as we speak." It was then that they noticed the slight hum as the database was receiving the information she sent.

                She looked away, at something. Then she looked back at them. "I can't talk long. I just hope that you will use the information wisely. Make the right choice," she said, meaningfully.

                "What about you?" asked Wu Fei, a little too quickly. It drew a lot of weird looks from his friends. "You _do know that once the firework starts, you'll be caught in the middle."_

                Mylin shook her head. "Never mind me. I'll be busy with something else," she said then looked at him. "Good luck, Gundam pilots."

                Then she was gone. Silence again overwhelmed the hangar as the pilots looked at each other.

                "Can she really be trusted?" Duo asked Quatre, who shrugged. Trowa and Zechs were looking at Heero, Wu Fei and Kylie, the only people who had close encounter with the alien assassin.

                "Yes." It was Heero who answered. Kylie just kept her own opinion to herself and watched Wu Fei took out a disc.

                "I'm taking this to Lady Une," said the Chinese pilot.

                Heero put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll go with you. We might need to verify her." He looked at Kylie who was leaving.

                "You two can go by yourselves," she said, without even looking at him. "I'm not involved."

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                The headquarters was bursting with excitement when the news of Mylin's defection came to them. McGarth had been very suspicious, even after Heero and Wu Fei verified her, but when the President and Relena supported their statements, the Defense General could do nothing.

                So, Lady Une had her agents looking at the information Mylin sent, with the supervision of McGarth's own men, of course. Most were encrypted but some, which were not, told them more about the Telrhani than what they've gathered before.

                Heero and Wu Fei observed Noin, Sally and their team tried to decrypt the files. And after making sure that everything was going fine, the two left to join their friends to gain as much rest as possible. That, and a late breakfast.

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                The smell of the cooking bacon on the stove made Duo's mouth all watery. Trowa, Quatre and Kylie were there with him on the same table. While Duo and Trowa were waiting for their meal, Quatre and Kylie were eating their toasts. The blond pilot was studying some star charts while the ex-assassin was scribbling something that Duo didn't care enough to ask.

                And working behind the stove was Hilde and Catherine. Both had waited faithfully until their love ones entered the galley and prepared a decent meal for them. And to Duo, things were looking, or rather smelling, good.

                Suddenly, Vincent Dupree entered, looking much better. The color was returning to his face though he still looked a little weak. He looked at all the people in the galley, searching for someone. When his eyes finally rested on Quatre, he made his way towards him.

                "Hey, Quatre," he said, nodding a greeting at Duo, Trowa and Kylie. Quatre looked up from the charts, surprised.

                "Vincent! What are you doing here?" he asked, gesturing for him to sit. "I'm sorry that I didn't see you coming in."

                "It's okay," said Vincent, noticing the fatigue on the younger boy's face.

                "Please, join us," Quatre invited, pushing his toast at him. Vincent shook his head. "No, thanks. I've already eaten."

                Then he looked at the other three again, nervously. "Actually, I was hoping that I could have a word with you alone, Quatre," he said, hesitantly. He glanced at the others. Trowa had stood up and changed to another table nearby. Duo stayed, only to be pulled by the ear by Hilde, who led him to the table Trowa was occupying. She then placed the bacon and scrambled eggs in front of Duo and told him to eat up. Catherine settled down next to Trowa, watching her little brother ate.

                Only Kylie stayed. She was still busy scribbling, ignoring the rest of them.

                Vincent looked back at Quatre, figuring that there was no other way to remove the girl. Besides, in a strange way, he felt reassured when she was nearby. It was as if she was his source of strength.

                "What is it, Vincent?" Quatre prompted, gently. He noticed the hesitation on his face.

                "It's about Relena," Vincent began. "You know that we both have been friends since we were children…" Quatre waited for him to continue, patiently. "But even then, we were more than friends. We were inseparable, well, until the day my father died."

                Vincent inhaled. "And now that we're reunited, my feelings for her has somehow… changed. It was even more serious. In fact, I discovered that there's no other person I've ever felt this way but her." He stopped when he saw Quatre smiled. He frowned. "What?"

                "You don't have to tell me the whole story, Vincent," said the younger boy. "I know that there was something between the two of you from the moment I saw your little reunion."

                He blinked. "You do?" he echoed. Then he blushed. "I guess I haven't been that subtle over my feeling for her, have I?'

                Quatre shook his head. "It took me a while to figure out things too," he said, well aware of Duo leaning closer to listen to their conversation. Even Hilde was curious. "What seemed to be the problem?" he asked.

                Vincent lowered his voice. "I've asked Relena to be my wife."

                A choking sound answered his revelation. Quatre looked at Vincent, startled as Hilde was rubbing Duo's back to ease his coughs. The braid-haired pilot turned around in his seat to address Vincent. "You pop the big question to her?" he asked, disbelief.

                Vincent looked at him, then at Quatre, bewildered. "Did I do something wrong?" He noticed everyone were staring at him, looking a little surprised. All except Kylie.

                "B… but what about Heero?" Duo blurted. "He's supposed to…" he broke off when he earned a warning look from Quatre. He then sat down, stuffing his mouth with the scrambled eggs. The blond pilot then spared a glance at Kylie, who was still scribbling. Instantly, he knew that she already knew what was coming. And if she knew, Heero would too.

                He turned his attention to the uncertain Vincent. "What did she say then?" he asked, gently.

                Vincent cleared his throat, looking very uncomfortable. "I didn't ask for her answer right away. I thought that I should give her time to think about it. Maybe I'll ask again when the war is over."

                "So, what's the problem?" Quatre probed, carefully. He glanced at Kylie for her reaction but there was none.

                By then, Vincent was blushing furiously. "I've just suddenly thought of something that I need to know." He looked at Quatre. "You've known Relena for some time now. Does she… does she have a reason to say no?"

                There was a moment of silence as Quatre contemplated his answer. He could sense Duo, Trowa, Hilde and Catherine's stares bore into him, expecting his answer too. Even Kylie had stopped scribbling though her eyes were still on the paper that she was writing on. It was then, Quatre felt a slight burden over one little question. And the worse part was, he didn't know what the answer was.

                "She doesn't," said a deep voice. They all turned to see Heero and Wu Fei coming in. Wu Fei wordlessly settled opposite Trowa while Heero walked towards Vincent and Quatre. He looked at the older boy. "Don't worry about that. Relena has been too busy with her pacifist ideals to even consider about her future. But now it's time for her to do so. And you should be the one who start it all."

                Then, Heero walked over to the fridge, ignoring the disbelief look on Duo's face. And others as well. Only Kylie remained neutral, that Quatre noticed.

                Vincent looked at Heero, uncertainly. Then he returned his gaze at Quatre and smiled faintly. "I guess all I have to do now is to wait."

                "No, no," said Duo, standing up. He was feeling a little angry with Heero for ruining his perfect plan to pair him up with the beautiful pacifist. Now, he could only think of a way to teach Heero a lesson. "You can't just pop up the big question without giving her something to think about." He purposely looked at Heero to see his reaction. There wasn't any.

                Vincent frowned. "What do you mean?"

                Duo rolled his eyes. "When did you ask the question to her?"

                "While we were escaping from the Telrhani. Why?"

                "That's it!" said Duo, obviously enjoying his revenge. "You asked her during a time of crisis. She might have thought that it was just a spur kind of moment." He sat next to Vincent. "What you need to do is to give her a token to remind her that the offer's still open."

                Vincent looked at him. "You mean, I should get her a ring?"

                "Duh!" said Duo, rolling his eyes again. "Isn't it a _custom for proposals such as this?"_

                "I guess you're right," Vincent admitted.

                Suddenly, Kylie stood up. She looked at Duo and grunted. "Speak for yourself, Maxwell," she said, nodding at Hilde, who was washing the dishes furiously after hearing his words. Duo, realizing his mistake, gulped.

                "Oh uh!"

                Quatre looked at Duo, then at Kylie and then Hilde. Then back at Duo when the truth hit him. "You two are engaged?" he asked, disbelief. He looked at Kylie. "How did you know that?" Then turned to Duo again. "Why didn't you tell us?"

                By then, the others were looking at Duo too, including Dorothy and Howard, who had just entered. Duo winced, as he became the center of attention. He looked at Hilde, who was blushing. "I… uh… guess we thought we could hold that off until _after the war," he said, looking at Kylie pointedly._

                Kylie ignored the dagger look he threw at her and glanced at Heero. She knew that he knew about it too, judging from the unreadable expression on his face. Then, realizing that Quatre was waiting for her answer, she replied, "I know because I noticed that both of them aren't fighting as much as before."

                Chuckling, Vincent looked at the blushing Duo. "So, what's your reason for not giving Hilde the token of engagement, Duo Maxwell?" he teased. He decided that he indeed, liked the Deathscythe pilot more and more now.

                At that, Hilde folded her arms and paid close attention. Duo suddenly felt a few inches shorter as everybody was staring down at him. He gulped down the giant sized rock in his throat. "I'm broke, okay?" he answered, making his way towards Hilde. "But I promise that I will get you that engagement ring. Trust me."

                Deciding that they had tortured Duo enough, Catherine stepped between them. "It settles then," she said, kindly. Then she looked at Hilde. "Congratulations, my friend. I'm so happy for you." The two hugged as Howard came over and slapped Duo's back.

                "Make her happy, Duo."

                Duo's face glowed. They could all see the happiness in his eyes. "I will, Howard," he promised. Soon, the couple was surrounded by well wishers, led by Quatre. Then, the blond pilot felt someone tapped his shoulder. He turned to see Howard, carrying what looked like a flight suit.

                "This came a few minutes ago," he said.

                Quatre's face lit up as he took the suit from Howard. He then turned to Kylie and gave it to her. "Here you go," he said as she looked at him, questioningly. "Since you're one of us now, I figured that maybe you should wear the same flight suit as ours."

                Kylie examined the suit. Clearly, it was similar with the ones the other Gundam pilots were wearing. More precisely, it was identical with Heero's black and blue suit. Then, she looked at Quatre and the rest of the Gundam pilots. When her eyes rested on Duo, she returned her gaze back at Quatre.

                She shook her head. "Thank you but I can't accept this," she said. She saw his face fell in disappointment as she handed the suit back to him. "We may fight as a team now but I don't see myself as one of you." She then walked to the exit and stopped. She turned to look at the Gundam pilots, and then regarded Quatre, apologetically. "Don't ask me to be one of you until all of you agreed to it," she said, pointedly looking at Duo, who looked away.

                Quatre watched her disappeared in the hallway, feeling torn over the impulse to go after her or to leave her alone. He was just taking a step forward when there's a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "Let her be," said Heero. "Like some of us, she too, is not ready to be one of us."

                Reluctantly, Quatre admitted that Heero was right. And so, he returned to his quarters to catch a nap. He had never felt so tired before.

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	12. Chapter 12: Tranquility

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!☺

**TIMELINE:** The story mostly takes place after Endless Waltz. To be more precise, one year after Endless Waltz. That means two years after my very own Treize's Revenge series.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST XII: TRANQUILITY. 

By Arayelle Lynn.

                The peaceful atmosphere in space seemed to seep into the Preventers headquarters. For days now, there hadn't been a single attack from the Telrhani, confirming their suspicions so well. The Telrhani _were_ preparing for the final attack.

                For that reason alone, none of the Gundam pilots and their friends could close their eyes to sleep, despite the fatigue from working on their Gundams for so long. The only consolation was the news of the engagement of Duo and Hilde, something that seemed to give them a little shred of hope. And hope was what they badly needed when things were losing into the darkness.

                Wu Fei had been the last one coming out from the galley. When Kylie and Quatre left, Heero had left as well. Duo left when Hilde, Dorothy and Catherine started to talk about the wedding preparations, with an amused Howard watching them. Vincent left seconds after Duo, almost at the same time Trowa left. Then, it was Wu Fei and the three chatting girls.

                Normally, Wu Fei would have gone away the second the girls started to talk. But he didn't and chose to ignore them instead. He was never good with girls. He always thought them as weak and petty. They always worrying about things that needn't any worry. No, he had never being able to tolerate girls, no matter how old they were.

                Except for one. Long Meirang, his late wife. _There's_ a woman that was completely different from the rest. The only woman he had ever loved. And every time he thought about her, a dull ache entered his heart. All he ever wanted was to get her back, which was impossible.

                His memory of Long Meirang brought back the memory of Mylin, the alien traitor. And again, he shuddered at the thought of how similar the two looked. Mylin was the complete copy of Long Meirang, from the beautiful blue-black hair right down to their fighting movements. It was as if Long Meirang was being reborn again!

                The only difference between them was that where Long Meirang had been impulsive and high-spirited, Mylin was reserved and cautious. Plus, she's an alien whose origin was still unknown to him. But from what she had done for them, Wu Fei was beginning to look at her with a new profound respect.

                Suddenly he stopped. He hadn't realized that as he lost in his troubled thoughts, he had entered the observation deck. This was where they could all see the peaceful and beautiful scene in space. Where those who longed to go to Earth could stared at it for hours.

                But that wasn't the reason why he stopped. There, standing near the window and staring into the vast starry space, was Kylie. Her back was onto him so she couldn't have known who was watching her. But that suited Wu Fei just fine. He felt compelled to watch her this way. So at peace, so very beautiful.

                Wu Fei knew, standing before him was the girl that brought the feeling of love back into his life. He thought that he had lost it, only to rediscover it with help from the girl who barely knew what love really was. But he knew that she can never be his, especially since Quatre Winner seemed to fall head over heels for her. And _especially_ since she was also showing her feelings for the gentle pilot, although it was very distinctive.

                Nobody knew how hard Wu Fei tried to control his feelings. Not even he himself knew. Every time Kylie went out to battle and protect Quatre, he fought the urge to protect _her_. And every time she threw herself at the feet of danger, on a mission to save anyone, he longed to be with her, to fight alongside her. But yet, something held him back. A memory that etched in his mind and heart. Long Meirang.

                Deciding that he should put an end to this, he started to walk up to her. That's when he spotted someone else beaten him to the punch. The other reason why Wu Fei let himself suffered alone, Quatre Winner.

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                Staring into space seemed to give the peace that she needed. And yet, it couldn't extinguished the dreadful feeling inside her. And she still couldn't shake off the image that the Zero system showed her. Something bad was going to happen. It's going to happen soon, maybe even sooner. And it's only up to her to make sure that the outcome would be as she determined.

                She shivered as the chill of death passed through her. She had felt it before. Felt it when she was preparing to battle Heero on that day _Treize's Revenge_ was subdued by Treize Khushrenada's letter. The difference was that then she was asking for death but now, she was reluctant to accept death.

                She jumped when something fell on her shoulder. She turned and realized that someone had placed a Preventer jacket over her shoulder. "Can't sleep?" said a sympathetic voice. She didn't have to look to know who was talking to her.

                "I could've said the same thing about you, Winner," she said, again noting the tired look on his face. She smiled at him gratefully.

                He sighed. "I guess we all seemed to be having sleeping problems. I just saw Duo entering the hangar and Heero, sitting in the lounge. Trowa wasn't in his room the last time I checked and Wu Fei, well, he's nowhere to be found." He scratched his head. "Maybe I should've said yes when Sally suggested that she should prescribe us with sleeping pills."

                "Sleeping pills won't fix our problems," she disagreed. "We're restless because our senses are warning us of the coming battle." She shrugged. "Even the Preventer agents and the colonies felt it. Nobody's going to get some decent sleep for the rest of the night and probably tomorrow."

                "I guess you're right," he admitted, looking out of the window. "Peaceful, isn't it?" he commented. "And to think that there's a war going on… It's just not right." There's pain in his voice as he thought of the prisoners.

                "It isn't," Kylie agreed. "But it's just perfect. It gave us the determination to fight for this peaceful moment. To preserve it for the future of mankind. It reminds us of what we are fighting for." She looked at him. "_Who_ we are fighting for." She emphasized the last sentence.

                Quatre glanced at her. Her last comment was left unreplied. Then he smiled, looking more and more like an innocent little angel that made her heart ached and feeling blissful at the same time. "I'm just thankful that I'm able to share this moment with you," he said, shyly.

                She let the comment passed and dug into her pocket instead. She then took out a wooden handmade panflute. "Treize made me this when I was a little girl," she said, looking at it fondly. Then she gave it to Quatre, who looked at her, surprised. "Let see if you can play it as well as you play the piano."

                He was surprised. He didn't know how she knew that he could play a panflute. Of course, Noin could've told Kylie that he could play the piano since she had heard him play once but he had never made it known to _anybody_ that he could play a panflute as well. And this just showed Quatre how much Kylie knew about him.

                Not wanting to disappoint her, he nodded. He then made his way to the nearest wall, sat on the floor and leaned against the wall. Kylie followed him and settled next to him. They made themselves comfortable on the floor and then stared out into the celestial sight before them.

                Then, Quatre played.

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                Dorothy watched Quatre and Kylie sat on the floor. She knew that she must let go of Quatre now. He belonged to someone who's very deserving of him. And there's nothing in the world that could force her to ruin that. She won't. She just couldn't. And that thought not only gave her sadness but joy as well.

                Like Kylie, she also jumped when something was draped over her shoulder. Startled, she saw warm green eyes looking down on her. "Trowa," she voiced. The Heavyarms pilot smiled at her.

                "You're going to catch a cold if you stay here for too long," he said, gently.

                "I guess," she said. "What are you doing here?" she asked, curiously.

                Trowa nodded at Quatre, who was playing the panflute. "I was looking for him," he said. "But I guess he's in good hands now."

                Dorothy didn't even bother to give a response to that as both of them watched and listened to the song Quatre was playing. It was mellow but there was a tinge of hope in it. They had never heard the song before, so they guessed that it was one of those Quatre composed himself. And the song described him well, innocent and yet, captivating.

                "It's kind of hard to accept that the two are a couple," Trowa said, after a brief moment of silence. "Both them are so different from one another, it's like they are from two different sides of a coin."

                Dorothy stared at the couple. But instead of agreeing, she said, "But that's what made them look so beautiful together. Their differences made them so perfect for each other." She looked at him. "We only often see a couple as perfect and true when both have so much in common but what we're seeing here is a couple that _complements_ each other. Quatre's innocence and Kylie's guilts. The light and the darkness. The angel and the devil."

                "And they both compensate each other's weaknesses so well. Quatre's insecurity and Kylie's strength, as well as Kylie's lack of emotion and Quatre's kindness and sympathy for others." She sighed. "They're so beautiful together," she said with a sorrowful feeling.

                Trowa was surprised by her response. He hadn't thought about that. As he stared at his surrogate little brother and the ex assassin, he admitted that what Dorothy said had its truth. But then, he was even more surprised by what she said afterwards.

"Even so, I hope that Kylie won't cause Quatre pain because… she has the potential and reasons of doing so," she said, her voice hardened. Her face was all serious and very manacing. It was then Trowa really realized that Dorothy _did_ have feelings for Quatre. And that would only give her nothing but pain in the end.

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                Relena found Heero sitting all alone in the lounge. His eyes were closed as she entered but opened before she could say anything. He didn't even looked at her when he said, "That's one welcoming sound, don't you think?" referring to the sound of the panflute that rang throughout the headquarters, soothingly.

                "Quatre has taken up a new instrument," she said, smiling. "I think it's Kylie's doing."

                Heero closed his eyes again. "He's very talented. Who knows how many instruments he could play."

                "Maybe Kylie does," said Relena. She expected him to reply but silence drowned the entire room. Relena saw Heero's chest rose and fell steadily but she knew that he wasn't asleep. And she knew that that he was waiting for her to speak.

                "I…uh… come here to see you before you go," said Relena. She looked at him, nervously. "I feel as if tomorrow is the final day. And I want to see you before you leave for battle."

                There was silence.

                Suddenly Heero opened his eyes, startled. Relena was kneeling on the floor before him. She had taken his hand and now pressing it onto her cheek. She looked up at him. There's a tear rolling down her cheek. "Please be careful, Heero," she said, her voice mixed with heavy emotions. "Come back to us safely."

                Surprised by her action, Heero could only look back at her. How did she know that he was planning to die in battle? That he would give anything to make sure his twin sister made it through alive with her lover? And to make sure there _is _a future for Relena and Vincent to protect?

                Recomposing himself, Heero looked away. He stared at the ceiling for a brief moment. "Do me a favor then," he said.

                Now, it was Relena's turn to be surprised. But then she smiled, looking very pleased. Heero rarely asked for favors, especially from her. "What do you want me to do, Heero?" she probed, gently but eagerly.

                "Accept Vincent. Let him enter your heart. Accept his proposal." He looked at her surprised face. "That's the only payment I'm asking you, for protecting you over the years." He looked away. "I hope you will pay this debt."

                Relena was indeed surprised. And that made her fell into a deep silence.

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                Duo had returned to Deathscythe to finish up his work. When he was just finishing, Hilde came in after a long conversation with Catherine and Dorothy. She didn't know why but she felt closer to the two girls over the months.

                Now, both of them were sitting close, listening to the sound of the panflute silently. They knew exactly who was playing it and knew who was with that person. But it wasn't the time for Duo's critical opinion over the person's companion. It was time for them to enjoy this moment of peace before they entered the chaos that's outside the boundary of metal and fiberglass.

                The panflute played on, soothing the most troubled hearts and healing emotional pain of the losts. It made them more at ease and closer to those around them. That's when Duo felt Hilde's hand tightened in his.

                "Come back safely, you hear?" she said, quietly. Like Relena, she had this very odd feeling that the next day would be it. "I don't think I can live without seeing you again."

                That struck Duo deep. He even didn't know how deep he felt. For a moment, he want to return her touching remark but then felt a sudden wave of mixed emotions struck him. And he knew he can't lost control now. He's a Gundam pilot, after all. He had to be able to conquer his true emotions.

                So, he feigned hurt. "What? You mean to say that you doubt my piloting skils?"

                "No," said Hilde quickly. "I'm only telling you to be careful. You're not exactly like Heero or Trowa."

                "What?" That was a genuine surprise. "Are you telling me they're better pilots than me? Who's next? Wu Fei? Zechs? Kylie? _Quatre_?" he asked, jumping up to his feet. "For your information, I'm as good as any of them. Maybe even better."

                Hilde stood. "You're twisting what I'm saying," she said, desperately trying to make things clear. "I'm only saying that you're not as spontaneous and reckless as the rest of your pilot friends."

                "Hey, I can be as spontaneous and reckless as they are," he said. "After all, I'm the God of Death. My enemy trembles at the sight of my scythe!"

                At that Hilde lost her temper. "Fine! Do what you want to do. Blow up yourself and your Gundam for all I care," she exclaimed. "I only want you to be back safely but you seemed to love putting yourself in danger. Fine! Maybe we'll be getting rid of one annoying brat in this war." 

Shaken, Hilde suddenly cried. Realizing that he had went a little too far, Duo put his arms around her. "Hey, it's okay," he said, gently. "I was just kidding you know. You know how I love to see you angry."

"You nut," said Hilde, sniffling as she punched his shoulder. "How could you mock me when I'm being serious."

                He held up his hands. "Alright, my fault. I'm sorry," he said, tilting her chin up. He then stared into her glassy eyes. His face was serious. "I promise you that I will return to you. Now, more than ever," he said, with conviction.

                They then held each other, listening to the sound of the panflute that echoed on throughout the entire base.

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                Zechs and Noin were in the control room, helping out Sally and her team to decrypt the information that the alien Mylin sent to them. Lady Une, McGarth and the President were also there, watching their progress.

                They were looking down a screen when they heard the sound of the panflute. And that seemed to soothe the frantic atmosphere in the room as each agent was starting to feel more at ease. Noin looked up from the screen and met a pair of blue eyes. She noticed that Zechs was staring at her.

                Then, Zechs reached for her hand and squeezed it reasuringly. There was nothing but love in his touch and Noin couldn't help herself from blushing. She knew that one day, they would have to tell everyone that they're married. But now, they'll just have to make do with keeping their marriage a secret.

                Lady Une saw the whole thing. She didn't know how but she could sense that the two was holding back a secret. And she distinctively knew what it was. But whatever it was, she was really glad that things were working out between her two top agents.

                As she watched them, her mind wondered on to Treize. For a thousandth times, she wished that he was there for her. But it wasn't meant to be. Then, another thought entered her mind as she looked away, into the unknown.

                'Hold on, Mariemaia. Just hold on.'

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                Alone. That's what she felt inside out. She had never felt this alone in her entire life, even when her mother died and left her with her late grandfather. Mariemaia tightened her arms around herself, shivering. They had separated her from the other prisoners, to avoid creating another Jack Fields. They knew that she was important to the Preventers and that she had the ability to stir up the spirit of the prisoners to fight against the alien guards.

                And that's why she ended up in this cell. That's why she felt so alone.

                Mariemaia wondered about Jack. She knew that right now he and Francine were already in a different ship, heading back towards the alien's home world. She didn't know how or where that was but she was sure that she she would never again see Jack and Francine and some of Catherine's circus family that were also taken with them for a long, long time.

                "Jack, Francine, my friends, please be safe."

                Then, she wondered about her mother, Leia. In her dreams, she always saw her. Her mother had always been the one who gave her the strength to go on. But lately, another person had appeared in her dreams as well. That person not only gave her strength but also a sense of security that she had never found even when she was living with her grandfather. And she knew who that person was. Treize Khushrenada, her father.

                "Father, mother, help me."

                Then, her thoughts went to the woman that she thought as her second mother. She missed Lady Une terribly. The woman had been her backbone since she was reborn after that brief conflict a year ago. It was Lady Une who told her about her father, who make sure that she had the best for everything. And it was Lady Une who held her during the nights when Mariemaia woke up, screaming from her nightmares. And now, she felt that she needed her more than ever.

                "Lady Une, I need you."

                Her last thought went to the girl she was glad to call sister. Mariemaia was very grateful when Kylie had taken the effort to come and warn her about the Gundams during the Operation Meteor crisis. She was grateful that the girl dared to dodge bullets just to persuade Mariemaia to rethink her decision. And she was even more grateful that Kylie was generous enough to forgive her for turning against her. And she was thankful that now, she had someone whom she trust enough to get her out from any danger.

                "Kylie, please hurry."

                These were all the people that became the most important part in her life. And she badly wished that she would be able to see them again. She was about to go to go to sleep and welcome her happy dream when suddenly the metal door clanged and someone entered the dark cell.

                That someone placed a bowl on the floor. "Eat," it was a woman's voice. But she didn't immediately leave as the other guards always did. Instead, she put a hand on Mariemaia's face, wiping the tears away. "Hold on, little girl," the woman said, so gently that Mariemaia was surprised. "They're coming. Your champions are coming any moment soon."

                Then, she left.

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                Mylin knew that the end was near for her. In fact, as soon as Warleader Variskh give the order to attack, the end will become inevitable. And as much as she wanted it to end, she found herself looking at the screen reluctantly. But the ball was already rolling and all she could do was to play along.

                Emperor Gylendar appeared on the screen the second she activated their connection. He looked at her intensely, noticing the grim look on her face. "Mylin? What do you have to report to us?" he asked. There was a strange note in his voice, telling her that things back home weren't doing so good.

                "The Warleader has finally ordered the final attack on the humans. It will be early tomorrow morning when the humans are at their most vulnerable," she reported. "Our warriors are busy preparing to ensure absolute victory." Even then, her voice held a certain uncertainty o it. And the emperor noticed this.

                "You worry about the Gundams?" he guessed.

                Mylin sighed. "More precisely, the pilots. They aren't like the foes we fought before, Your Majesty. And they still have the chance to turn everything to their favour." She shook her head. "This could be our toughest battle yet."

                "Your concern is well noted, Mylin," said Gylendar. Then, he looked at her carefully. "Is there anything else?"

                To his surprise, Mylin fell on her knees and lowered her forehead on the floor. His surprise was not for the fact that she knelt before him. No, his surprise was because lowering one's forehead on the floor was a gesture only those who were condemned to death would do. Those who had committed the highest crime that even the emperor couldn't find himself to forgive.

                Mylin looked at him, there's deep regret in her eyes. "Mylin?" he said, questioningly.

                "Forgive me, Your Majesty, for I have betrayed you and your people," she said. The emperor was surprised as she continued. "I've tried so hard to avoid this but I'm beginning to feel sympathy for these humans." Then her face darkened. "And what I'm about to do to the enemy of my sister and I might cost us our victory."

                She lowered her forehead on the floor again and looked up. There's tears in her eyes. "Please find it in your heart to forgive me." Then she looked at him, lovingly. "In my life there had never been anyone I love but you, Your Majesty. And my soul is suffering because I could no longer be there for you to protect you from your enemy." She paused. "And don't worry yourself about my betrayal. I will pay it with my own death."

                For a moment, Emperor Gylendar looked at her. His face unreadable as usual. Then, he nodded. "Very well," he said, betraying no emotions. "I accept your reasons for your betrayal." He paused, staring at her. "I will miss you, my 'Eye and I hope you will be careful in you Vengeance Quest." Then his eyes softened. "Be safe, Mylin."

                Then, he was gone. And she was all alone, like the little girl in the cell below.

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                "Got it!" a voice exclaimed, jarring Lady Une from her deep thoughts. She looked at Sally, hovering over an agent she knew as Tom at the data console. Zechs and Noin were also there while McGarth and the President were making their way towards the foursome.

                They looked through the data scrolling down the screen. They could almost feel each other's excitement. "My god! This is unbelievable," they heard McGarth said, surprised. They had to agree with him for once. It was unbelievable.

                "We must have the Gundam pilots to take a look at this," Lady Une declared, realizing the importance of the information to them. "They must know what to expect." She looked at the President and McGarth. "They are the only ones who could be the key players in the final battle."

                McGarth started to object but the President nodded. Lady Une looked at him gratefully, before addressing one of her agent. "Jean, go and fetch the Gundam pilots," she said. The female pilot nodded and was about to go to the door when a husky voice stopped her.

                "No, leave them to _us_." They turned to look at Zechs and Noin. Lady Une nodded.

                "Alright."

                The two left. It didn't even taken them a minute to find a Gundam pilot. They found Trowa and Wu Fei, waiting patiently outside the room. Both were standing and leaning against the wall. They didn't even react when they saw Zechs and Noin.

                "You're successful?" asked Wu Fei, knowing exactly what the answer would be.

                Noin nodded. "Yes. We're on our way to find all of you." She and Zechs then started to walk past the two pilots.

                "You might want to give them some time," said Trowa, stopping them. Zechs regarded him.

                "Where's Heero?" he asked. Trowa nodded at the direction of the lounge. Without any words, Zechs led Noin towards the lounge.

                They found Heero, fast asleep on the sofa. A blanket was draped over his chest. But the sight that touched them was the peaceful look on his face. And also of Relena, who was also sleeping. She was on the floor but her head was rested on Heero's lap. Her hand was holding Heero's. Both looked so peaceful and happy that the two didn't have the heart to interrupt the perfect sight of two young lovers.

                And so, they left the two with their dreams. 

They made their way towards the hangar, thinking that they would find Duo, Quatre and Kylie there. Instead, they found two of the three in the observation deck. Both were even surprised by their second discovery.

                Quatre and Kylie were both on the floor, propped against the wall, fast asleep. But what made Zechs and Noin surprised was how the two looked so comfortable and so right with each other. Both had the same innocent look, as if they were just children sharing a tiny bed. The two were sitting close, their bodies leaning towards each other that their heads were almost touching. It was then Zechs realized how much the two unlikely couple meant to each other.

                Noin nudged Zechs forward, signaling him that they should leave the two alone. Her husband agreed by pulling her hand as they tiptoed away. But both missed the next miracle when Quatre's hand somehow found its way to Kylie's and the girl unconsciously smiled.

                Zechs and Noin reached the hangar, silently. None of them spoke since they left the observation deck. They were still overwhelmed by the rare and barely possible sights that were displayed before them earlier.

                When they got to the hangar, they immediately saw Hilde, looking down at something. Upon hearing their footsteps, she looked up. Then she slowly and wordlessly raised her index finger to her lips, signaling them to remain quiet. Seeing the questioning look on their faces, Hilde gestured them over. When they were close enough, they saw the reason for silence.

                They were greeted by the sight of Duo Maxwell, asleep on his future wife's lap. There was a peaceful smile on his face as Hilde continued to stroke his hair gently. They looked at Hilde and saw the love for the Deathscythe's pilot radiated from her eyes and her face was glowing like the full moon from earth sky. She then regarded them and mouthed, 'He has a rough day.'

                Knowing exactly what Hilde was asking from them, Zechs and Noin left the hangar quietly. "Trowa Barton was right," said Zechs to Noin once they're away from earshot. "We should give them some time. The next day would probably change their life one way or another."

                Noin nodded, sad and happy at the same time. She looked back at where they came from. "Duo and Hilde made a cute couple. I'm just glad that they realized how much they need each other before it's too late," she commented as they walked along the hallway.

                When Zechs didn't say a thing, she looked at him. "You worry about Heero and Relena," she guessed, knowing his heart. "What do you think about a possible union between the two?"

                Zechs took his time to provide an answer. "Impossible," he said, surprising Noin. "Heero knew that Relena love him and he felt the same way too." He shook his head. "But Heero won't accept Relena by his side because he knew that he can't be with her the way Vincent Dupree can."

                Noin understood his words even before he finished saying it. And she admitted it, reluctantly, that it was true. Then, she decided to ask another matter. "What about Vincent? Could you accept him  your brother-in-law?"

                That, he didn't take his time. Zechs quickly gave her the answer. "If Heero think he's suitable for Relena, I just have to agree with his choice. Heero would do anything to make sure Relena is happy." He paused, as if in deep thought. "But I prefer if Relena could make her own choice." As he said that, Noin could detact a note of sorrow in his voice. And so, she changed the subject.

                "I'm really glad Quatre found someone he could love," said Noin, lightly. "Although I had first thought it would be Dorothy, seeing how close they were, but looking at Kylie now, I guess there's something about the girl that fit right in with Quatre."

                Zechs face was still grim. "Don't be glad so early, Noin," he said. "They may look right for now but Kylie may yet do something that could cause Quatre Winner a lot of pain. And herself included." He paused. "I think things are happening too fast for them and Kylie might end up doing the same thing Heero is doing to Relena. Pushing love away."

                Much to his surprise, Zechs found himself shivering, not from cold but from a strange thought. "Sometimes, I feel as if Heero and Kylie are one and the same," he said, his voice so soft that Noin barely heard it. But then Noin had to admit that there was something strange and spooky whenever Heero and Kylie were together in one room.

                After travelling in silence, Zechs and Noin reached the galley. They found Catherine and Dorothy, talking to Anne, the president's granddaugther. The three looked up when they entered. "Here, join us," Catherine invited, reaching for two empty mugs and poured some coffee.

                Zechs and Noin sat. "What were you talking about?" asked Noin, giving Anne a smile. "We could hear you from the other hallway."

                "Catherine was just telling us about her circus life," Dorothy answered. She and Catherine were trying to distract Anne from the absense of her grandfather. And also to distract her from the coming war. "It's really exciting, really. I never thought much about it."

                "Well, you won't feel that way if you're stuck with cleaning the cages," Catherine said, teasingly. Dorothy looked at her in horror before broke into laughter, realizing Catherine's tease. Then, both looked at each other, a strong bond had forged between the two of them.

                However, although both Catherine and Dorothy were wearing smiles, Noin could detect the anxiety in their eyes. She knew that they too, were worried about the war. They were worried about losing the people they love most.

                Noin sighed. 'It's always a hard thing to leave a love one behind to go fight a war. But it's even worse for those who were left behind to watch their love ones go without ever knowing if they would return,' she thought. Somehow, Zechs sensed her distress and put a reassuring hand on hers.

                She smiled gratefully at him.

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	13. Chapter 13: Chaos

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!☺

**TIMELINE:** The story mostly takes place after Endless Waltz. To be more precise, one year after Endless Waltz. That means two years after my very own Treize's Revenge series.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST XIII: CHAOS. 

By Arayelle Lynn.

                They assembled in the conference room an hour later. All of them were there, listening to Lady Une as she briefed them. Heero had left Relena's side and was standing with his Gundam comrades while she was sitting with the President and McGarth at the front. Neither was looking at each other, as if the peaceful moment an hour ago had never happen.

                The atmosphere of the room was intense as Lady Une revealed the startling discovery.

                "According to the information that we managed to gather, the Telrhani are a mighty race, ruling and has conquered over many races in many galaxies. In each world they reached, they succeeded in conquering them easily."

                "That doesn't sound good for our side," said one of McGarth's officers.

                "Many things we discovered in the disc don't sound good," said Sally, her face grim.

                The officer nodded. "Okay, so we know that they never lose. And all survivors are turned into slaves but what I want to know is where they come from?" he said, impatiently. "Don't tell me that this alien traitor of yours forgot to include that detail."

                "Oh, no, sir. She did include that," said Sally, as the screen flickered, showing a star map. They all turned their attention on it. "That flicker of blue on the map is the location of our solar system in our galaxy." She pointed at the tiny, blinking light. 

Duo blinked, realizing how tiny he was compare to the big space in the chart, which covered the portion of the universe that the astronomers had studied over the centuries. He almost let out a whistle, in awe. But he held himself in check.

                Sally looked at her audience. "The galaxy where the Telrhani came from is nowhere nearby," she said, circling her finger at the nearest galaxies near theirs. She then looked at them, ignoring the star map completely. "In fact, their galaxy isn't even on our map," she declared.

                "How could that be?" McGarth demanded, feeling as if she was playing him for a fool. "How can they not be anywhere?"

                Sally shrugged. "Simple, sir. That means, the Telrhani came from a part of the universe that we ourselves haven't discovered yet. The uncharted territory. Their galaxy is over millions of light years away." She glanced at the star map. "Which explains why they're not in the map."

                "That's impossible!" McGarth exclaimed. "It would take an eternity to reach our galaxy if that's true. And by then, all of them would've aged and die. But from your reports, these aliens are aging at the same rate as they have been before leaving their galaxy."

                "You didn't let her finish," Heero interrupted, tonelessly. He threw McGarth a look to keep him quiet.

                Sally nodded Heero her thanks. She turned to McGarth. "There is one possible way," she said. "And the Telrhani used that way to get her." She took a deep breath. "They used a wormhole technology to get here."

                The room buzzed with surprise gasps. Even the Gundam pilots were looking at each other, startled. Lady Une signaled Sally to continue when the buzzing stopped. "From the disc, we've found out that the Telrhani has developed a technology to create a wormhole. They used it to conquer many worlds far away." She paused. "Which was how they appeared in the orbit of Pluto without us detecting their approach."

                "So that's how," said Zechs, cursing himself. He knew that he should've thought about that when the mysterious appearances started. Now, he could only mentally kicked himself.

                "Right," said Sally, continuing. "From the reports, we also believed that the aliens are transferring the prisoners to their home world at this moment so they could prepare for the final invasion. So we need to rescue the prisoners before they were taken through the wormhole."

                McGarth frowned. "Have you determine where the Telrhani are keeping the prisoners?"

                Sally nodded. "Yes. It's _sensible_ enough to assume that the large ships heading towards the wormhole are carrying the prisoners," she answered, purposely challenging McGarth's intelligence. She then looked at Lady Une. "But if we're talking about one particular prisoner, the Telrhani traitor didn't even bother to hide that fact. Mariemaia is on the mothership, with the Warleader."

                Lady Une didn't know if she should feel relieved or worried. So, she just nodded. "That means she isn't going to be shipped through the wormhole." Then her eyes narrowed. "And it could also mean that they _are_ planning to kill her after all."

                Sally looked at her, apologetically. A glance at Kylie showed that the girl was betraying no emotion. She just stood between Quatre and Wu Fei stoically, arms folded. But she was watching Lady Une, intensely.

                "Is there a way to destroy the wormhole and stop them from transferring the prisoners?" asked Quatre, his eyes betrayed his concern.

                "The only way to destroy the wormhole is to destroy the device that is creating the wormhole," answered one of the Preventer agents. She was an expert in technology and had studied the files on the wormhole technology thoroughly.

Sally shook her head "Unfortunately, we have not yet discover the exact location of the wormhole device since that information is highly encrypted but if we have to guess, it would most probably be in the mothership since that is the most highly-secured space ship in their fleet." At that she glanced at Heero and Kylie and saw them exchanging glances. She knew that they were thinking that it was their fault that the security on the mothership was doubled.

                For a moment there was silence as they digested the new information. Then, Lady Une stood up, taking over the discussion. "After some discussion and certain arguments." She purposely glanced at McGarth. "We've all agreed with this plan."

                "The Preventers and the ESUN's defense group have agreed to work together to fight the alien fighters and the Mican troopers." She nodded at Dorothy. "We will also use the mobile dolls in this fashion." She turned to regard the Gundam pilots. "You will be handling the infiltration of the enemy's fleet. It's going to be a tough job with the Mican warriors breathing down your neck."

                Heero nodded. "Don't worry about that. We can handle the job," he said, his voice sounded very confident. He knew exactly what Lady Une was saying but said it aloud to make sure his friends understood what the real plan was. "We will infiltrate the enemy's fleet and once we've secured the prisoners, we will leave them to your care."

                The other Gundam pilots looked at him, startled. Heero looked at them, particularly at Kylie. "Our main task is to find the wormhole device and destroy it before they call for reinforcements. And before more prisoners are being transferred over." He paused. "It's tough enough that we'll have to handle the Micans, the rescue and the sabotage, so not all of us will be involve in all of these." He looked at Quatre. "We might need to split our team."

                Finally understood what he was saying, Quatre nodded. "That might be the best course of action," he replied, knowing that it was up to him to decide who's going to do what. But that would require some thinking in his part.

                Seeing no objections, Lady Une nodded. "So, it's settle then," she said. "Since we're all agreed that the best course to take is a surprise attack, we would be launching our attack some time before dawn."

                They dispersed. Kylie was about to follow her team when she heard a voice calling her. She froze at the doorway, looking back at the head of Preventers. She raised her eyebrow, questioningly but said nothing.

                Lady Une's mouth opened and closed. And reopened as she tried to decide what to say to her. She knew that once the girl walked out of the room, they would never find the time and chance to speak again since both were likely to be busy with the preparations. And she had so many things to say to the ex assassin.

                But she found that she couldn't. And so, she settled with, "Good luck, Little Fire."

                There was no response from the girl. Instead, Kylie just stared at her before turning away. But before she disappeared into the hallway, Kylie said something that surprised the older woman.

                "Take care of Mariemaia."

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                It's time.

Warleader Varishk from the House of Tharia knew it deep in his heart. He purposely glanced at his lover, Sira. Somehow, she must've felt the same way because her eyes met his from the moment he set them on her. Then, he looked at his Mican Warriors. Like Sira, they too, sensed his thoughts. Their eyes clearly showed their calm excitement.

                Yes, he knew it was the perfect time. They had studied as much as needed on Earth's defense as well as its strengths and weaknesses. Plus, they'd also taken the initiative to study the Gundam pilots, be it their strengths and weaknesses. If anything, Varishk considered that they probably knew a lot more about the Gundam pilots than they even knew about themselves.

                Yes, they're definitely ready.

                He turned his gaze ahead to his captain, Stharhkis, who would be assisting him. He gave him a nod. "Let's make history, captain."

                Captain Stharhkis acknowledged his order and turned to his man. "Signal the other ships. Let's move in. Our target, Earth."

                Varishk leaned into his seat, comfortably. In his thoughts, he could see nothing but absolute victory.

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                Mylin sensed rather than felt the ship began to move. But she let none of that disturb her final moment of peace. She continued her prayers to the gods, particularly to Baeline, the god of vengeance as part of the preparations for her Vengeance Quest.

                There, she felt completely at peace. She had her forgiveness and permission to proceed from her beloved emperor. She had done her duty as the Warleader's spy by doing his every bidding. And she even managed to show the humans her good faith by giving them something as sacred as the Telrhani holy texts. The disc.

                And now, she was content. Let Emperor Gylendar does as he wished to the information she had provide him with. Let Warleader Varishk worried about the final war. And let the Gundam pilots endangered themselves for the life of one little girl on the ship. All of that was left behind. Her only concern was her quest and a certain Telrhani warrior with green hair. Sira.

                After the final prayers, Mylin rose to her feet. She walked over to the place where she hid her weapons and began to strap them onto her body. These weapons were her symbol of honor and the very thing that helped her became one of the deadliest Emperor's Eyes among her people.

                Summoning the face long gone but not forgotten, Mylin took a deep, long breath. "Wait for me, my little Tsylar. I'm coming." She left the room, her footsteps echoed nothing but vengeance. And death.

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                The hangar was bursting with activities. Most of the Gundam pilots were there, suiting up and preparing themselves. Catherine Bloom was there too, watching her little brother, Trowa, slipped into his dark customized flight suit. Though she had every confidence in Trowa's ability, she still couldn't shake away the thought of not being able to see him again.

                Trowa held out his hand for his helmet, which she had it clutched tightly in her hands. When she didn't let it go, he looked at her and saw the anxiety on her face and fear in her eyes. Without any words, he pulled her towards him and embraced her, reassuringly.

                "Don't worry about me, sis," he said, gently. "I will be back. I will bring our family back, that's a promise." He titled her chin up and stared in her eyes. His eyes were surprisingly gentle and kind. "I'll be fine. I've promised to always be by your side, remember?"

                Tear glistening in her eyes, Catherine nodded. Biting her lips, she slipped his helmet on his head and pulled up the visor. She gave him a forced smile. "Just be back before dinner, okay?" she said, trying to sound as lightly as possible. "I'm making your favorite dish tonight."

                Trowa squeezed her hand. "Sure thing, sis," he replied. Then, he leapt onto his Gundam. He gave her one last look before entering the cockpit. There, he waited patiently for the others to say their good byes.

                Quatre looked around the hangar, searching for one face that he hadn't seen for the last few hours. He was startled when someone came up from behind him. "Looking for me?" said that someone. He turned.

                "Dorothy!" he exclaimed. Then looked at her, guiltily. "Uh, no. I was actually looking for…"

                "Kylie, I know," said the blond girl, feigning disappointment. "I was hoping that at least there's one person here who might actually care enough to look for _me_." She sighed. "I guess you're not it."

                That only made Quatre felt even guiltier. "Sorry, I should've considered your feelings."

                "Stop it, Winner," said Dorothy, a little too quickly. "Don't even think about blaming yourself for my pain. I can handle it myself," she said, realizing it wasn't too far from the truth. "I was just teasing you," she added, smiling mischievously. She decided to change the subject. "I'm here to wish you luck."

                Relaxing, he smiled. "Good luck to you too, Dorothy," he said.

                "Thanks." She looked at the empty Gundam Nova. "Kylie's not here yet?"

                He shrugged. "Haven't seen her since the briefing," he replied as Dorothy eyed Nova carefully.

                "She made quite a number of modifications, I notice," she commented.

                He sighed, unhappily. "She installed the self-detonation device and increased Nova's speed, among other things."

                "But why didn't she do something about the armory. Or increase the shield's power?" she observed, speaking more to herself.

                Quatre looked at Nova again, noticing it for the first time. "I don't know," he replied, puzzled. It would be sensible for any pilot to modify the armor of their mobile suits to ensure the best protection for the pilot. But Kylie seemed to put that aside.

                Dorothy waved off his concerns away. "Maybe she has some sort of plan. Who can tell?" she said, trying to make him feel better. Reluctantly, Quatre had to agree with her but something inside him told him to pay close attention.

                Suddenly, Dorothy surprised him by giving him a quick peck on his cheek. She stared at him in the eye. "You better come back safe and sound, Quatre. Or I'll make you pay," she said. Before he could figure out the hidden message in the tone of her voice, she left the hangar and him, standing there in deep confusion.

                While Quatre was having his conversation with Dorothy, Duo was already in Deathscythe, powering up the main power. He was about to close the cockpit door when something caught his attention. "Hilde!" he exclaimed, his tone was one of disbelief.

                Hilde stopped in her midstep. She was fully suited in her purple flight suit and was making her way towards the Tauruses at the far end of the hangar, where the ESUN's defense troops were waiting. She looked up at him as he leapt down.

                "What are you doing fully suited?" he demanded. "Where do you think you're going?"

                Hilde didn't meet his eyes when she answered, "I was called back into service. The ESUN need every available and able hands to help out in the battle." She opened her arms. "So, here I am."

                "You volunteered, didn't you?" said Duo, accusingly. "Why are you pulling this stupid stunt? Do you want to get yourself killed?"

                Seeing Duo already seen through her guise, she answered, "Better killed out there than worry myself to death in here."

                "I want you to stay," said Duo, his voice was quiet. For the first time, it was surprisingly serious.

                But Hilde surprised him again when she wrapped her arms around him. Her body shook as she started to cry. "Please, Duo. Don't ask me to do that," she pleaded. "I can't bear standing around, wondering if you'll come back to me. It's a torture." She looked up at him, pleadingly. "Please, Duo. Let me fight with you. Please."

                Duo was struck by the emotions in her eyes. He hadn't really known that he meant so much to her. And now he realized that if Hilde was to be included in his life forever, she had to be more than his lover. She had to be _his_ goddess of death.

                Smiling, he wiped her tears. He looked at her, savoring her beautiful eyes. "I guess we have now a goddess of death." At that, Hilde jumped into his arms. They both held each other, not hoping but determined to see each other again once the war was over.

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                Dorothy hurried towards the Zero system control room. The conversation she had with Quatre a few moments ago was still playing in her mind. Sure, she still had regrets that he would never be hers but she was really glad that there's someone strong cared about him as deeply as she did. And Kylie was the only person that could keep Quatre alive and safe.

                But still she wondered. Why hadn't Kylie maximize her shields and armory? What was she planning? A thought came to her that said Kylie was just making her Gundam faster and more agile but there was a little voice inside Dorothy that told her something was amiss.

                Speaking of the devil. There she was.

                Dorothy saw Kylie stopped in midstep. And she also found herself frozen too. For a moment, the two stared at each other. Then, the Nova pilot tore her gaze away from Dorothy and started to walk past her. Dorothy was about to resume her journey when suddenly she heard Kylie stopped, just behind her.

                Then, they were back-to-back. Two young women, which fate thrown together. Two young women, who had once been the enemy of the Gundam pilots in different times. Two young women, who were now sharing the same fate. And the silence was almost deafening.

                It was then, she asked the magic question.

                "Are you in love with Quatre?" Kylie asked, her voice as cool as running water.

                Dorothy was startled. 'She knew! I should've known nothing escapes this girl,' she thought, panicking. She didn't know exactly how to answer it. To lie would be painful but to tell the truth would be even more painful.

                "The truth," Kylie demanded, as Dorothy was about to open her mouth to lie.

                Dorothy sighed. "Yes." She shrugged. "It doesn't matter now. Quatre is always safer with you. You can give him things that I can't."

                "I see," said Kylie, after a moment. "Take care of him for me, Dorothy."

                At that Dorothy was surprised. She had dreaded what the ex assassin might respond to her confession. That she would tell her to stay away from Quatre. Or even kill her on the spot. But this… what does she meant by that? Dorothy turned around to ask what she meant but found the hallway behind her empty. Kylie was already gone.

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                Quatre leapt into the cockpit. He was surprised when he found a red rose and a panflute on his seat. Feeling someone was watching him, he turned and saw Kylie, standing at the mouth of her cockpit. She nodded.

                "Happy Birthday," she mouthed. Then, she settled in her seat, her eyes were only on the surprised blond pilot.

                Quatre smelled the rose and tucked it and the panflute inside his suit, close to his heart. He had just learned from his secretary that he had lost Project Jupiter to Kylie's former employer, Duke Winteridge. He had been deeply disappointed at that but then, Kylie made him feel better. He just stared at the beautiful face in the suit before him and smiled. "Thank you, Kylie. For everything."

                Kylie's heart warmed at the smile on his face. As the cockpit door slid shut, cutting her of the sight of Quatre, she found herself determine to come back alive. The thought of death was far away from her mind. She must return alive so she could see that angelic smile again.

                That, or her revenge.

                Wu Fei watched the whole exchange closely. Something stirred inside him, something he had never felt before. He found himself wishing that it was _he_ that Kylie was smiling at. And he found himself wishing that there were someone here whom he could say good-bye to. But that someone was gone, a long time ago. And Wu Fei didn't need anybody. Just Nataku.

                As always.

                Then, he punched a switch and the cockpit door slammed shut. But before he lost sight of the world outside, his eyes strayed back at a certain bright gold Gundam and its pilot inside.

                Seeing everyone ready, Heero powered up. He was about to close the cockpit door when he suddenly saw Relena, staring at him forlornly. Vincent was beside her. Deciding to end the matter, Heero stepped out and looked at Vincent closely.

                Vincent, who was never comfortable with Heero's sharp gaze, felt himself shrunk a few inches.

                "Take care of her," said the Gundam pilot, startling the aristocrat.

                Heero then looked at Relena. "Good bye, Relena."

                A gasp caught in her throat. It wasn't what Heero said. It was the way he said it. In a flash, Relena realized that Heero was really saying good-bye for good. It was as if he was never coming back for her. Realizing that, Relena started to lunge forward, to stop Heero from going. But it was too late. A second later, Wing Zero was powered up and left the hangar followed by the other six Gundams.

                Relena opened her mouth, to plead Heero to come back, only to feel a slight pressure on her shoulder. She looked back and saw Vincent, staring intensely at the vanishing Gundams. His face was serious and determined. But Relena was too distressed to think of the reason for his determination.

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                Something blinked on Duo's screen. He punched a few buttons to determine it. A series of numbers and words scrolled down the screen, confirming his suspicions. "I guess the Telrhani have the same idea as ours, 'cause here they come," he reported.

                "Got that," said Trowa, glancing at his own screen. He was busy doing some calculations.  "It seems that they've split their forces and is targeting the L1 colony clusters."

                "Leave the colony to us," said Noin over the channel. "You people go and handle the Mican Warriors. They're your only concern at this moment. My troops can handle the fighters and the flagships."

                Quatre nodded. "Roger. But we still need to locate the Mican Warriors."

                "There!" said Duo as soon as his screen blinked red. "They're among the second forces near Saturn. Maybe we should…" Before he could even finish his sentence, Wing Zero broke formation, heading straight towards the second alien forces. He was then followed by Epyon, Heavyarms, Altron and Nova. "I guess this is it then," said Duo, not wanting to miss the fun.

                Quatre glanced back at Noin. "We leave the first forces to you. Good luck."

                "Good luck to you too, Quatre," he heard Noin said. "All of you."

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                They met the Mican Warriors halfway their descent towards L1.  The fight was fierce as the Gundams were quickly overwhelmed by the Mican Warriors as well as their Troopers. Their attacks seemed to be well strategized and it was only a short time later when Quatre suddenly felt as if the battle was taking its toll on him.

                He grunted painfully as another shot hit Sandrock. He then barely missed an assault from Keil'n, thanks to Trowa's quick reaction. Then, Quatre was forced to duck under S'Irai and a Mican trooper's blows, which would have finished him for good if it weren't for his quick reaction. And the Zero system.

                Kylie gritted her teeth, swiping away the annoying Mican troopers who was in her way to help Quatre. But every time she or any of the Gundams managed to break away, they would be overwhelmed by the troopers and the rest of the Mican Warriors.

                "What is going on here?" she growled, feeling her patience growing thin. "Why are they converging their attack on Quatre?" she asked, seeing all the Mican Warriors attacking the outnumbered Sandrock furiously.

                "It's possible that they've developed a plan to destroy us one by one," Quatre answered, his voice sounded strained. "And they start by trying to destroy the weakest pilot. And since I am the weakest, it's natural that I'm the first target." He grunted as Cont'rai's blow hit him. A second later, a trooper fired at Sandrock and he yelled in pain.

                "Quatre!" Duo exclaimed, trying to break away from the troopers that were attacking him. But failed.

                "You catch on fast, Protector of Peace," they heard Keil'n said, over the comm. "We can't allow you to get anywhere near the Warleader and the slaves. If anything, we're determined _not_ to let you pilots come out from this battle alive!" With that he took a swipe at Quatre with his beam whip as Sandrock leapt away to safety, only to be attacked by Trec'na.

                Suddenly from the corner of his eyes, Quatre saw Wing Zero broke free from the troopers that were attacking him and headed towards the battle. "Hold on, Quatre. I'm coming," said Heero, his voice calm but deadly.

                "Sister!" said a familiar voice as K'Vai's Mican suit broke away from their formation. K'Rin, who was about to fire on Quatre nodded and followed her twin in pursuit. "We leave him to you," she said to the rest of the Mican Warriors. They acknowledged her order by continuing their attack on Gundam Sandrock.

                "Heero, watch out!" Quatre warned, seeing the twins heading straight for Wing Zero, with a few Mican troopers following them. Then hell broke loose around Wing Zero as Heero tried to fight for his life as well as his friends'.

                "Heero!" Kylie exclaimed, starting to make her way towards the second battle to help him fight the deadly Mican twin. But before she could even move an inch, she was attacked by the Mican troopers.

                "As you can see, Protector of Peace," said Keil'n to Quatre. "You are slightly wrong. Our plan does not _only_ include to put _you_ away first."

                Zechs was startled at hearing that. He then looked at the battle between Sandrock and the four Mican Warriors and then at the battle between Wing Zero and the twin Mican. "They've converged their main attack on both of them!" he breathed, finally figuring out their strategy. "Dang it! Gundam pilots, they're planning to destroy the weakest _and _strongest pilots first!"

                "What!" Wu Fei growled as he was hit.

                "Look at Heero!" said Zechs, pointing out.

                Trowa looked and tensed. By looking at the battle carefully, he noticed that Heero was clearly outnumbered and outmatched by the combination of the twin warriors as well as the other Mican troopers. He clenched his gloved hand. "At this rate, we will never reach the prisoners in time."

                Kylie fought, furiously. She didn't need to spare a glance at the battle Heero's in. Being twins, she could easily sense his fatigue and desperation. Heero desperately needed her help. But a glance at Quatre also showed her that he was in need of her help too. Soon, confusion and desperation started to hit her as well. And she found herself being overwhelmed by the troopers.

                "Good. The girl pilot is confused," said K'Vai, seeing the bright gold Gundam desperately trying to break away.

                "Our selections are indeed correct," said K'Rin. "Target the weakest and strongest pilot would affect a third pilot's performance. Her feelings for these two pilots would destroy her and eventually the other pilots as well. Human emotions are so weak."

                K'Vai smiled. "Let's leave our 'surprise' destroy the other pilots. We must destroy this one for now."

                "I'm with you."

                "Incoming! At 3 o'clock," Duo exclaimed over the speaker as Trowa winced. He turned his attention towards what Duo indicated and saw a large troop of Mican troopers coming at them. "Back up troops!" he said, taken by surprise.

                "They don't want either of us to get to their main fleet so they're going to hold us here instead," said Wu Fei, fighting hard.

                Kylie glanced at the incoming troops as she sliced her twin lance through the remaining troopers that was attacking her. Now that nothing was in her way, she had to decide who she should help, Heero or Quatre. However, the sights of the incoming troopers made her rethink her priorities. And she found herself coming up with difficult choices.

                "Help Winner," said a voice, startling her. She looked at Epyon.

                "Zechs?"

                She saw Epyon destroyed the troopers surrounding him. "Go help Winner. I will help Heero." With that, Epyon headed straight for Heero, K'Vai and K'Rin. Kylie glanced at Trowa, who had destroyed his troopers too.

                "Zechs's right. Go help Quatre," she heard Duo said. "Both of you."

                It was Trowa's turn to be surprised. "What about you?"

                Deathscythe sliced a trooper and spun away from another trooper's line of fire. "Don't worry about us. Wu Fei and I will hold off the incoming troopers. We'll watch your back."

                "Worry about yourself," said Wu Fei. "You're going to have a tougher time handling the Mican warriors _and_ the remaining trooper."

                "Roger that," said Kylie, her voice cold. She gripped her throttle tight, determined not to fail. With that, Nova and Heavyarms headed straight for the battle where Quatre was fighting for his survival.

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                Lady Une stared at the screen, monitoring the battle. The Earth forces were barely holding on their own as the Preventers and ESUN defense force worked together to thwart the Telrhani's attack on L1. Even so, she saw that the Earth forces were slowly overwhelmed by the sheer number of the Telrhani fighters and their flagships.

A glance at another screen showed her that the Gundams were not doing any better. They were completely surrounded by the Mican troopers and now were fighting for their lives. Realizing that they could not afford to let this continue, she opened the channel.

                "Dorothy!" she said. "Gather up your MDs and help the Gundams. They're in trouble."

                "What are you doing?" McGarth demanded. "Cancel the order," he said through the comm. "Are you insane? Our forces and the colony need the Mobile Dolls."

                "And so does the Gundams," Lady Une argued. "Can't you see that they're outnumbered?" She pointed at the screen that showed the second battle. "At this rate, we can lose the Gundams if we don't help them. And we can't afford to lose any of them because they're our only hope if we're to survive this war."

                "Ma'am!" said a Preventer agent. "The aliens have broken through our defense line."

                They turned to see the Telrhani fleet approaching L1. Another look at the screen showed them that the Earth forces were fighting hard to stop the fleet but it was useless. "Estimated time of arrival in 10 seconds," said the agent.

                Suddenly she frowned. "Ma'am. Something strange is happening. The alien fleet seemed to be accelerating."

                "What!" said McGarth, shocked. "That can't be."

                "They're not heading towards the L1 colony," said the agent. "In fact, according to these readings, they're going past the colony."

                McGarth leaned over the console. "It can't be. What is there to target except for the colony?"

                Lady Une stared at the screen. The truth dawned on her. "They have a new target. Earth."

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                Quatre didn't know how long he could hold on. Everything was a blur to him as he tried to dodge away from the blows and swipes that he was receiving from those who were determined to kill him. Even with the Zero system, he found himself helpless against the four warriors' concentrated attacks on him. And although the Zero system was the only thing that kept him alive this far, he still need to fight off the Zero's persuasive urges of losing his sanity and shoot everything in his path.

                "Become its master, Quatre," he heard someone said, among the chaos around him. "Master it!"

                "Heero?" he voiced, surprised to find his voice shaky and strained. In fact his whole body was shaking. Darkness swirling around him as he fought not to lose consciousness. Then…

                Blamm…!

                He cried as he was thrown back, being hit by a blow that he missed. As pain and confusion swirling around him, he felt something caught him from behind. Closing his eyes, he waited for his inevitable death.

                "Quatre, are you alright?" a voice asked, from behind.

                He opened his eyes slowly. "Trowa?" he said, surprised. He realized that it was Trowa who had caught him from behind. Standing before him was Nova, its back on him, facing the four Mican warriors and the troopers. "Kylie?"

                "You okay?" she asked, shifted her hold on her twin lance. But before he could answer her question, Nova suddenly blasted away towards the enemy, brandishing her lance menacingly. Then, she was in a furious battle against the Telrhani warriors.

                "Kylie!" Quatre called out, trying to get his arms to move but found them shaky and weak. Then he felt the hold on him tightened.

                Trowa's face appeared on the screen. "Tell me, are you okay?" he repeated the question. There's concern on his face.

                "Yes," he gasped. "We must help her."

                Trowa nodded. "Stay here. She's buying you time to recuperate. I will do what I can to keep her alive." With that, Heavyarms' hold on Sandrock was released and it sped away to enter the battle. Quatre took that moment to monitor their progress.

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                Lady Une stared at the monitor, troubled. Now that the real target of the Telrhani was finally revealed, everything changed. Especially their priorities. The battle that was taking place near the L1 colony was not doing very good even when most of the Mican troopers were stationed near Mars, battling the Gundams.

                "So, these are the invincible Gundam pilots, huh?" McGarth sneered, watching her looking at the Gundams' progress. "I don't see what makes them so great. They can't even get rid of a few Telrhani warriors let alone rescue the prisoners _and_ help our forces. Their abilities, their 'perfect soldiers' story are just an exaggeration. Stories to make people like Treize and the scientists heroes."

                Lady Une's head snapped at him, anger clearly written in her eyes. Suddenly, McGarth could see himself looking at the feared and heartless former Colonel Lady Une again. And something inside him feared what she might do next.

                But nothing like that happen. Instead, Lady Une's anger was replaced by a look of surprise and then fear. Quickly, she rushed to the communication console and contacted Wing Zero. But all she got was a busy signal. Heero had purposely disconnected his comm.

                So, she decided to try another. Her heart thudded as she waited. "Yes?" said a voice as an image appeared on the screen.

                "Quatre, the Telrhani are planning to trap you in the heart of the battlefield so you won't be able to help Earth and rescue the prisoners!" she said, her voice was strained. "They've planned this all along."

                "We've established that conclusion a long time ago," said the blond pilot. She saw him winced as if he was hit. "We're now trying to break away from this clever trap but every strategy I came up all turned out to be unhelpful." He cried as the cockpit shook. He wiped his dripping sweat as Lady Une could clearly see the frustration in his eyes. "I'll contact you later when we're making progress."

                Then the connection was broken and she found herself staring at a blank screen.

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                As soon as the battle started, Mylin launched her plan. She made her way quietly towards the brig and the prisoners' hall. With most of the guards involved in the battle, there were only a small number of guards guarding the prisoners. However, their numbers were big enough to ensure the prisoners' perfect behavior as the war raged on. And to ensure no one tried to free the prisoners.

                But Mylin was no one. She was Emperor's Eye, a great warrior. Equally great as the Mican Warrior and perhaps most likely, even greater. And she was on her Vengeance Quest, which made her even deadlier. Plus, she was determined not to let anyone stop her.

                So within seconds, the guards were all lying on the floor, dead. She looked at the only person left standing. The person's green eyes stared back at her, fearlessly. "Come on, little girl. We still need to free the others," she said to the green eyes.

                The girl, Mariemaia, stepped out of her cell. "The battle has started, hasn't it?"

                "Yes and if we don't get to the prisoners' hall now, you won't be able to leave this ship alive," said Mylin, pulling the girl with her.

                "Too late," said Mariemaia, pointing at something behind her. Mylin turned and saw the other guards, pointing their blasters at them. Then, there were a series of fires as her world plunged into darkness.

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                Frustration gnawed at Quatre like annoying rats. Every time he came up with a strategy, the Mican warriors quickly figured it out and held them fast in their trap. No one could escape from his or her trap, not even Heero who sometimes established his own strategy. 'It was as if they have created their own Zero system to counter ours,' he thought, trying to come up with new strategies.

                "That's very likely," suddenly someone said, as if hearing his thoughts. Quatre glanced at the screen and saw Heero.

                "What do you mean?"

                Heero spared a glance at him while fighting K'Vai. "They have spies, remember? It could be possible that they've got a hold of the Zero system program and studied it so they could counter our moves." He nodded at him. "Look at Dorothy's mobile dolls."

                He looked and did not like what he saw. The mobile dolls were doing very badly. Though their number was thrice the number of the Preventer agents and the ESUN defense troops put together, they were being destroyed by the aliens at an alarming speed. In fact, Noin's Zero-free troops were doing much better than any of them!

                "Should we abandon the Zero system now?" Quatre asked, fearing that the system would cause the end of them. He had often thought that the Zero system could make them more competent pilots but now… he himself was uncertain.

                Heero's answer surprised him. "No. The Zero system is the only thing that is keeping us alive against the Mican Warriors. Especially since they have us in this trap." Quatre saw his eyes grew cold. "As it is, Quatre, we're very weak against them. We might be superior pilots among our race but with the Telrhani, we're just pathetic."

                "Coming from you, that's not very encouraging, Heero," said another voice, Duo. "And I'm determined to prove you wrong," said Duo as Deathscythe swung his beam scythe through five Mican troopers with one swipe. The five exploded only to be replaced by ten. Quatre heard Duo muttered a curse.

                "Accept it, Maxwell," said Heero, his voice strangely cold. "That's the truth." With that, he closed the channel to give his full attention on K'Vai and the other Mican troopers. Quatre watched him and fought at the same time. He dreaded on Heero's last words silently.

                "Still, we must come up with a strategy to get out from this mess. Some of us has to go and rescue the prisoners," he said to himself, recalling the plan that they had lay out before they left for the battle. They had all agreed that Duo, Kylie and himself would go and rescue the prisoners while Heero, Trowa, Wu Fei and Zechs would keep the Mican warriors and their troopers busy. So now, their priority was to get Duo, Kylie and himself away from the battle so they could attack the mothership near Pluto.

                But how could they when all of them were trapped there?

                "Maybe that's our mistake," said a husky voice, Zechs.

                Quatre looked at him. "What? What do you mean?"

                Zechs struggled against the ferocious K'Rin. The female Mican warrior had finally showed him her real skills and found himself more than handful. And the troopers were not helping him either. They had more than once cause him to nearly lose his life to K'Rin's attacks.

                "Maybe we shouldn't have a strategy at all," he answered.

                Quatre blinked, surprised. Then he began to see the logic behind Zechs' statement. 'Yes, the Telrhani managed to keep us here because we depend too much on strategies. Strategies that the enemy clearly could counter because of their study on the Zero system. That means…' he thought.

                Quickly, he opened the channel to every Gundams. "Guys, break formation and attack the aliens as you see fit. We're no longer fighting as a team. It's time we fight individually as we have fought before two years ago."

                "What?" was Duo's response.

                "The Mican warriors have only seen us fight as a team," Quatre explained, quickly. "But they've never seen us fight separately. It's time that we show them how well we can fight without depending on each other."

                "Roger that," said Heero.

                Wu Fei grinned. "Now _that's_ a plan."

                Duo let out a whoop. "Alright, let's go, buddy." Then Deathscythe flew off, away from Altron, taking a few troopers, which followed him in pursuit, with him. Heavyarms fired at the troopers, who were about to take Sandrock from behind.

                He glanced at Quatre. "Take care of yourself." With that, he sped off as two Mican warriors chased after him.

                Sandrock turned his attention on Nova, still fighting the remaining two Mican warriors and troopers. Its back on him. "Kylie, you don't have to protect me," he said, gently.

                Kylie spared him a glance. "Who said I was protecting you?" she replied, destroying a trooper.

                Quatre smiled at that and nodded. He then glanced over at the others, seeing that they're making progress. Since they're no longer fighting as a team, they needn't to worry about each other. Their only goal was to destroy the enemy before them or be destroyed.

                And it seemed like the Mican warriors and troopers were caught at a disadvantage this time.

                'Good,' he thought, as he saw Keil'n broke away from his battle with Nova. Quatre then braced himself for the coming battle. "We must try our hardest to get to the enemy's mothership," he reminded his friends. "Now, it doesn't matter who are supposed to get to the mothership. Our main objective is to escape from this trap and rescue the prisoners."

                "Acknowledged." Was the only response he heard as Keil'n began to attack him. The goal was set before them. One of them had to get out even at the cost of his friends' life. Much more were at risk then, the prisoners, the wormhole and the Earth. It was then that the Gundam pilots finally realized how great their burden were.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	14. Chapter 14: Duel

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!☺

**TIMELINE:** The story mostly takes place after Endless Waltz. To be more precise, one year after Endless Waltz. That means two years after my very own Treize's Revenge series.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST XIV: DUEL. 

By Arayelle Lynn.

                Lady Une, McGarth, Relena, and Vincent watched in slience as the battle continued. The President and his granddaughter left the chaotic control room after giving command to both Lady Une and McGarth. He was being escorted away from MO V, with great reluctance, to Earth to ensure his safety.

                However, now that they found out the aliens' main target, Lady Une began to wonder if she had done the right thing by persuading the President to return to Earth. If she had just send him to his death, or worse, slavery.

                "The Gundams are making a progress," a Preventer agent reported. Lady Une heard Relena released the breath that she was holding as they all turned their attention on the second screen. They could see the battle that the Gundams were in, though fierce, was improving. Now, the battle had move further into the orbit of Uranus.

                But even so, there was one thing that bothered Lady Une. She wondered why the aliens' mothership did not make a move. The Gundams were making a swift approach to the mothership but still the ship didn't not do anything as to join in the fight and destroy the Gundams with their cannons. Lady Une began to suspect something.

                "Sally," she said, turning to the Chinese agent who was still trying to locate the aliens' wormhole device. Sally looked back at her, questioningly. "Run a thorough scan on the area where the mothership is. The Warleader is protecting something and I want to know what."

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                Somehow, things changed in the battle the Gundams were in. Zechs were no longer fighting K'Rin, ever since Con'trai and Kylie had joined them. Con'trai had tried to force Kylie to collide with Zechs to distract her or Zechs but only to have the two exchanging their adversary at the same time. Now, Zechs was fighting Con'trai and Kylie, K'Rin.

                Heero, meanwhile, was still facing K'Vai. The two were equally matched ever since Heero had been released from his worries for his friends. K'Vai, seeing that the Wing Zero pilot was finally showing his true piloting skills, decided that he cannot spare his attention on his men. He had to give his full focus on this human pilot they symbolized as the perfect soldier.

                Wu Fei broke away from S'Irai to gather his breath. S'Irai studied his opponent and smiled. When he had fought the pilot in the Gundam called Deathscythe, he could easily ensure he came on top even when the supposedly 'Great Destroyer' used the Zero system. S'Irai had trained for years to be the best in the close-range battle and knew that this Altron pilot was just the same as the Deathscythe pilot. That he could destroy this one as easily.

                "You tire so quickly, human," he sneered, hearing the heavy breathing of the Altron pilot over the comm. 'Con'trai had been wrong about this one,' he decided, remembering his comrade's exaggerated story about this pilot. 'He's just the same as others. He's not worthy.'

                Wu Fei panted, his hold on the throttle were slippery from sweat. A flash on his right made his lips twisted to a smile. "You've underestimated me, Telrhani," he shot back. "And that'll be your death."

                "What?" S'Irai blinked, surprised by the dangerous tone of his voice. The human was up to something. But what?

                He was about to find out, the hard way.

                "Do you think I broke away from you because I was tired?"

                Suddenly something flashed at the corner of his eyes. He turned and saw shadow heading towards him. A Gundam, which black armor camouflaging it well in the darkness of space, waving its deadly scythe. "Yeaaaa…" he heard the pilot yelled as the Gundam pushed its speed to the limit.

                "No, I will not be defeated…!" S'Irai heard himself yelled as in that split second, he spun away from the incoming Deathscythe. He narrowly missed the arching scythe as the Gundam flew past him. For a moment, S'Irai watched it, preparing himself for the second attack from his former nemesis.

                But just then, he realized something. Too late. Before he could even move, he saw another beam weapon swinging from above him. Even before he realized that he had been tricked, he felt a searing hot pain slicing through him. And for that moment, everything went still.

                He looked at Altron, its beam trident glowing gloriously, having taken a life of a great warrior. Then, Deathscythe appeared next to it, looking a lot more like the God of Death now more than ever. S'Irai's lips move. "H… how? I thought you pilots decided not to work together."

                "We did," answered Wu Fei, his face appeared on his screen. There's something strange in his eyes. Like molten gold, shiny and dangerous.  "But we share the same system. Who could tell what Zero is telling us to do."

                S'Irai last sight was the one of Deathscythe pilot. The same molten gold burning in his eyes. "Zero system." Was his last words, then the universe was filled with blinding white light. And S'Irai from the house of Plantis, was no more.

                Duo glanced at the incoming troopers, the one he had escaped from and then at the empty space behind Gundam Altron. Quickly, he made his decision. "Go, Wu Fei. You're clear. I'll hold these bozos off." With that, Deathscythe flew off to meet the incoming troopers.

                Wu Fei watched Deathscythe enggaged its battle with the troopers. With S'Irai destroyed, he was freed from the trap. And with Duo holding off the troopers that were trying to stop him, Wu Fei found himself free to make his way towards the mothership and rescue the prisoners. But before he went, he spared a last look at the battle.

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                Heero dodged every blow K'Vai sent him and at the same time destroyed the troopers with his beam saber. He purposely backed away from K'Vai as the leader of the Mican warrior tried to destroy him. Heero's eyes were searching for something, waiting for the moment to strike back but that moment never seemed to arrive.

                But patience had always been Heero's strongest virtue and he waited his moment with the patience of a wise old man.

                "Why won't you fight back? Do you really think you can escape from this?" asked K'Vai, his voice calm and cold. "Do you think you could destroy all my troopers until they've all diminished?" He chuckled. "Don't hope for that, Heero Yuy. I still have a vast number of troopers at my disposal and they will eventually be the cause of your death by my hand." He took a lunge at Wing Zero.

                Heero backed away and spun to destroy the troopers that were about to attack him from behind. Still, he didn't say a word.

                "What you're doing is meaningless," said K'Vai, deciding to cut to the chatter. "Do you think that I would not notice that you're backing away from the battle?" he asked, nodding at the empty space that stretched far away behind Wing Zero and the surrounding troopers. He was satisfied when he got a slight reaction from the Wing Zero pilot.

He continued. "I know you were forcing me to lead you away from our little trap." Then his eyes grew cold. "But I will not allow you to come near the Warleader's ship. And neither will my men," he vowed.

                "You are wrong," said the Wing Zero, his voice held a totally different meaning to it. "Your men could do nothing against my friends. They're losing. Look." He nodded at the battle on K'Vai's left side. The leader of the Mican warrior turned, only to see the most impossible sight.

                The Gundam Altron's beam trident sliced through the unsuspecting S'Irai. Time seemed to freeze at that and only to continue when S'Irai's suit exploded. K'Vai heard himself gasped as realization hit him. The lowly creatures had managed to destroy a Mican warrior! And a very well-trained one.

                Heero then took that moment to swung his beam saber, destroying the troopers around him that was staring at the battle Wu Fei and Duo were in. Then, he flew away, spotted his buster rifle, which he had accidentally lost during the fight and aimed at K'Vai.

                And hearing the sound of destruction of the troopers around him, K'Vai turned only to see another shocking sight. The Wing Zero was aiming his powerful buster rifle at him. "And you're losing too," said Heero as he squeezed the trigger. 

A bright light sliced through the space, heading for K'Vai at a deadly speed. But something inside him refused to give up as he tried to dodge away from the line of fire. Too late. The blast hit him like a nasty earthquake and everything went silent.

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                "K'Vai!" K'Rin cried out, feeling the emptiness where her twin brother had been. Her first impulse was to go and help her brother but then again, her duty to the Warleader came first. And she decided to make them pay by killing her opponent.

                But too late. She turned her attention back to Kylie in time to see Nova's heel connected to her suits' torso. K'Rin cried in pain and anguish as she was flung away. For a moment the world around her was forgotten, and there's only her and K'Vai.

                Seeing that her opponent was thrown off, Kylie started towards Quatre.

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                "Gundam Wing Zero and Altron had just broke away from the battle," the Preventer agent announced. Lady Une could hear sighs of relief coming from those standing behind her. She could almost picture Relena's relieved face. "Ma'am," said the agent, turning to her. "Gundam Sandrock is hailing us."

                Quatre's face appeared. "Heero and Wu Fei are already on their way to free the prisoners," he reported, as if they hadn't known it already.  He continued. "But the rest of us are still trapped here. The two would need some assistance in leading the prisoners to safety."

                Lady Une quickly understood what he was asking from them. But with Noin and her troops busy with the battle against the flagships, how was she suppose to send assistance to the Gundams? And looking at the other screen, she noticed that the Telrhani was approaching dangerously closer to Earth.

                But that's when everyone's prayers were answered.

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                Noin blasted another alien fighter, narrowly missed a trail of fire from an incoming fighter. She dodged and destroyed the fighter that had taken a shot at her. Then for a second, nothing seemed to be taking a shot at her and she used that precious second to monitor their progress.

                Not good.

                Though not many of their mobile suits were destroyed, the same could not be said about Dorothy's mobile dolls. They were actually being brutally slaughtered, if such word could be used for unmanned, computer-controlled suits. Noin could almost feel Dorothy's frustration back on MO V's Zero control room. But still, the mobile dolls kept on going.

                Surprisingly, Noin found herself thankful for the mobile dolls. They had spared many lifes of the living soldiers fighting in this battle. Since the number of MD's were vast, topped with their Zero system, the aliens were forced to deal with them more harshly, giving the Earth defense force the distraction they need to destroy the aliens fighters.

                But now that the number of mobile dolls were diminishing, the aliens had turned their attention back to the Earth forces' mobile suits. And more and more of them were being destroyed as the flagships made their way towards Earth.

                'No!' Noin found herself thinking the worst. 'I will not let them take Earth.' A thought entered her mind. 'The colonies are all replaceable. Man-made. But Earth is not!' Though resolved, Noin found herself not knowing what to do. The Gundams were too far away and _trapped_ to help them. So, the Earth Forces troops were on their own.

                Suddenly, from the corner of her eyes, Noin saw something emerged from Earth. Something dark and seemed to be growing in size. To her surprise, one of the dot took a shot and something behind her exploded.

                "Do not worry about Earth," said a voice as a face appeared on her screen. It was a man from Middle East, though Noin vaguely recognized him. "We were sent here to protect it by our master."

                "Master?" she echoed, confused.

                The leading suit destroyed another fighter sneaking behind her. "Yes. You must hurry now. He and his friends are in need of your assistance," said the man, as his men started to join the fight.

                It was then Noin realized that someone was trying to hail her. She punched a button and Lady Une's face appeared. "Noin, take some of your men and go help the Gundams." Realizing that the Gundams needed someone to escort the prisoners to safety while they destroy the wormhole, Noin nodded.

                "Copy that, headquarters," she said as she began to issue orders. As she was leaving the battlefield to join another, she glanced back at the newcomers. "Now I remember them. They're the Maganac corp."

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                When Noin and her men entered the battlefield, the Gundams' only objective was to get them through the battlefield safely. They knew that they were the only ones capable of holding the aliens back from returning to the mothership to defend it.

                It was as easy as holding back a tsunami from crashing on a city. The remaining Gundams worked very hard to give safe passage to Noin and her Preventers, each working out their own strategies but at the same time working together perfectly, under the influence of the Zero system.

                Quatre destroyed every troopers that were blocking Noin's way. There was only one thing in his mind and that was to ensure Noin's safety through the battle so she could help Heero and Wu Fei. The battle was like a chaotic dance to him as the only music he was hearing was, slash-cut and destroy, slash-cut and destroy over and over.

                He was so lost in his concentration that he barely saw Noin's group flew past him, into the darkness of space. Then, he stood there, confused. Nothing was in his way at all!

                "You're out, Quatre!" a voice jarred him into reality. "Go help Heero," said that voice. Duo?

                He then looked back at the battlefield. A few Mican troopers and Trec'na were making their way towards him, to keep him in the web-like trap that they had established. To stop him from assisting his friends to destroy the mothership.

                Then like shining shadows, Heavyarms and Nova appeared before him, cutting the Telrhani's path towards Sandrock. "Go, Quatre. We'll hold them off," said the ever-calm voice of Trowa. Quatre looked at the second face on his screen. Her eyes was cold but there's a trace of warmth in them as they regarded him.

                "Don't worry, we can handle them," she said, shifting her hold on her twin-headed beam lance. Suddenly, right before his eyes, he saw the lance broke in two, becoming two beam sabers like the one Wing Zero had. Kylie gave Quatre a wink. "Cool, isn't it?" Then, she began to battle the incoming Telrhani as Trowa destroyed the first one.

                Quatre was reassured. "Alright. The three of us should be enough to take on the mothership," he said, over the channel. "But I would like to advice that some of us go and assist the defence of Earth."

                "Got that," said Duo as the others acknowledged his orders their own way.

Then, Quatre flew off at maximum speed to catch up with Heero and the others. But his eyes strayed back to the battle. He prayed that all of them would live to see a new and brighter future.

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                When Nova flung her into the darkness, K'Rin felt as if she had entered oblivion. She felt nothing but the dull ache inside her heart. All her life, there had only been K'Vai and her. Both had fled from their parents since they were little after hearing that their parents were planning to sell them off to the slavers. Selling off their children so they could quench their thirst for money and power.

                But now that a part of her was gone, K'Rin found herself unable to continue. It shouldn't have ended like that. K'Vai was the mightiest warrior among them! But why had he fallen by the hands of a low-life creature they called humans.

                Distinctively, she heard someone called her name. Putting aside her pain, she gathered all her rage and thrust herself into the world of the living. She realized that she had stopped and that someone was holding her, supporting her. And that someone was calling her.

                "Lady K'Rin!"

                She wiped the tears in her eyes and regarded the face on her screen. "Keil'n. What is it?"

                "You don't need to grieve yet, milady," said her trusted comrade. "Your brother still live."

                K'Rin blinked, her heart pounded at the news. "What? How…?" She then mentally reached out, to see if the news was true and that her ears were not playing with her. Keil'n's grim face nodded. "Yes, milady. But his Mican suit is badly damaged and he's wounded. I've send out men to bring him to safety."

                There, she distinctively detect his presence and she let out a sigh of relief. Then, her eyes grew cold as she felt a strong determination to let the Gundams pay for hurting her twin. "What's the status?" she asked, seeing the battle still continuing. Now that K'Vai was out of the action, she was the one carrying the burden of leading the troops.

                "Three Gundams have escaped our trap. Four more are still inside."

                "Very well," said K'Rin, making a decision. "The two of us will go and stop the three Gundams. We must make sure that they do not harm the Warleader or discover the wormhole device."

                "No. Let them come." Suddenly a new voice joined in the discussion. K'Rin looked at her screen, startled.

                "Warleader!"

                Warleader Varishk regarded her calmly. "It was shocking that the Gundams managed to destroy S'Irai so easily. That ought to teach us to be more cautious," he said. "And all the more reason why you are needed there." He looked at K'Rin carefully. "You must keep the other Gundams inside the battlefield. Let me handle the ones that are coming."

                "But…"

                Varishk smiled. "Don't worry. Even if they manage to rescue the prisoners, they will still have to deal with you, right?" He paused. "Your only job now is to destroy the remaining Gundams. You must not let any more of them escape the trap to assist their comrades."

                Understanding dawned on her, K'Rin nodded. "Your will, Warleader."

                As soon as the connection was terminated, K'Rin surveyed the battle. Then, she found who she was looking for. Ordering a full scale attack on the remaining Gundams, K'Rin made her way towards the bright gold Gundam, which was bearing twin sabers.

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                "Well, anyone want to blow this joint?" Duo asked, referring to Quatre's last order to assist the Earth forces.

                Zechs kept on destroying the Telrhanis. He knew it was dire for them to destroy the enemy now before Noin came back with the prisoners. He knew that they have to end it now or never. A glance at the fiercely fighting Gundam Nova told him that Kylie had arrived to the same conclusion too.

                It was time to decide.

                "Kylie," said Zechs, now acting as the leader of the Gundams. "Help me make sure that Barton and Maxwell get out."

                Knowing exactly what he wanted from her, Kylie began to take on the troopers attacking Deathscythe while Zechs added Trec'na in his list of opponents to give Trowa room. The other two pilots looked on, startled. Then, realizing that both Zechs and Kylie wouldn't leave their love ones behind, they accepted their sacrifices. And besides, Duo was itching to make sure Hilde was safe and Trowa wanted to make sure the fleet near Earth never approach MO V, where Catherine was.

                With a final look at the new additions of their Gundam team, Heavyarms and Deathscythe left the battle. But little did they see an angry Mican warrior heading straight towards one of the new Gundam pilots.

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                Wing Zero, Altron and Sandrock expertly dodged the fires coming from the mothership. The second that they were in the mothership's firing range, they were being rained with shots that they 'easily' avoided. Noin's team were busying themselves with the slaveships which were taking the prisoners through the wormhole. At first, they were all caught by awe at the sight of the wormhole, swirling in white and blue hue but remembering the situation, they set their task to rescue the prisoners.

                "Anyone have any idea how to board the mothership?" Quatre asked as he sailed away from the line of fire. He felt a tinge of desperation to end all these quickly. He wanted to make sure that the others were safe.

                Suddenly, he saw Wing Zero darted towards the motherships, ignoring all the shots that connected. "Heero!" Quatre called out.

                "There's your answer," said Wu Fei, as he too followed Heero's example. Quatre saw the two Gundams accelerated in a ramming maneuver that sent shivers down his spine. Kylie had done that once, he recalled. 'Looks like I'm gonna do the same thing too,' he decided.

                "Quatre…!!!" he heard Noin shouted but he was too busy bracing himself for impact. Then, the world around him shook violently as he heard a sickening crunch. Then, there was darkness.

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                Heero stepped away from the cockpit and looked around him. To his satisfaction, his Gundam was still in one piece, having made by an alloy which was even stronger than the alien's, by the look at the damage their hull sustained. From the crack in the hull, he could almost see the battle taking place between Noin's team and the slaveships.

                He leapt down, pulling out his rifle. Then, he ran towards the exit and found himself in a hallway. Alarms blared, caused by the collision as well as a warning to the occupants of the intruders. Guessing his way around, Heero made his way towards the detention area. He was determined to find the prisoners quickly so he could start hunting for the wormhole device.

                His instinct proved to be helpful, as always. Within minutes, he found the detention area, 'subdued' the guards easily and was about to release the prisoners when he heard footsteps coming from behind him. Quickly, he whipped his rifle at the face that appeared and then relaxed.

                "What took you?" he asked, continued to release the prisoners.

                Wu Fei silenced the excited prisoners with a wave. "I was securing some shuttles for the prisoners. I was hoping you'd be here."

                "I thought _that_ was Quatre's job," said Heero, recalling their previous plan. The blond pilot had volunteered to secure shuttles for the prisoners' escape. Then he would be escorting the prisoners to safety while Wu Fei and Heero search for the wormhole device.

                Wu Fei shook his head. "He can't. Sandrock was thrown off course and landed too far away from here. And so he told me that _he_ would search the wormhole device instead." He then looked at the other cells, making sure that they didn't leave anyone behind.

                "It seems like our paths crossed again," said a new voice. Wu Fei turned to regard the person but Heero recognized the voice quickly. He stepped between the prisoners and the woman, shielding the prisoners behind him, his eyes never left the deadly warrior before them.

                "You recognize me, huh?" said the beautiful woman. "I'm pleased. The last time we battled, that red-headed wench interrupted us. But now, I intend to finish where we left off, Heero Yuy."

                Wu Fei nodded at the alien woman. "You know this woman?" he asked Heero. He was already on his defensive Kung fu stance, ready for battle. Next to him, Heero nodded. "Kylie and I met her when we were rescuing Relena and the others. She almost killed me."

                That brought Wu Fei in full alert. He knew that it wasn't easy for Heero to admit that. And if this alien woman had been able to wound the invincible Heero so badly, she must be _very_ deadly. So, Wu Fei watched her carefully, knowing he could not afford to be caught off guard.

                The alien woman, Sira, smirked at Wu Fei's reaction. She chuckled. "Don't worry, human," she said to Wu Fei. "I can take you and your friend all at once. You won't even feel a thing." She smiled but there was no humor in that smile. Only the dangerous look in her eyes that Heero had seen before.

                Heero addressed Wu Fei, watching Sira. "We must get these prisoners out of here." He nodded at the only exit, behind Sira. "And we must find the wormhole device and destroy it before we lose more prisoners," he whispered to Wu Fei.

                Suddenly Sira laughed. "Find the wormhole device?" she said, again without humor. "You will never find the device, Gundam pilots. It's not even on the ship." Then her eyes twinkled, dangerously. "And as for your friend, the Warleader has another plan in store for him."

                "Quatre," Heero breathed, realizing that his friend was in danger.

                Then, a blur of black leapt at Sira. Heero, seeing an opening, rushed past Sira to attack her from behind. But the green haired woman had thrown Wu Fei off and blocked Heero's path as quick as lightning. She looked at Heero. "I will not let you get past me, Gundam pilots. I intend to let my lover do as he pleases."

                She swung her fist at Heero but he had quickly jumped back to avoid it. Realizing that the only way to get the prisoners out was through Sira, Heero and Wu Fei were forced to battle her.

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                Quatre had no idea where he was heading. But he was glad at knowing that Heero and Wu Fei had gotten to the prisoners. Now, if only he could find the wormhole device and destroy it. 

                But deep in his mind, he felt something was amiss. As he walked along the hallway, he had yet seen a single guard hunting for him. His first thought was that maybe the people on the ship had been shocked after learning that the Gundams had rammed into their ship. But by now, the aliens should be going around hunting for the intruders, or double the guard on the prisoners.

                Then, he found himself in a large dark room, illuminated by a dim red light. Nothing was inside, not even a rodent, if there's any on the aliens' ship. His mind was screaming something and only at that time he realized what his instinct had been warning him about.

                'Trap! Get out of here.'

                He started to back out into the hallway, only to discover a shadow had dropped on him from behind. Startled, Quatre jumped away as he turned to face the shadow. A man was standing at the door, blocking his only exit. And he recognized that man as Warleader Varishk.

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                Zechs and Kylie worked together to draw the enemy away from Trowa and Duo. And since both Epyon and Nova were similarly built, both worked well together. They used the two Gundams' high speed engines to round up the aliens and stop from any of them from going after Heavyarms and Deathscythe. Now, the Gundams were the ones trapping them, not the other way around and Zechs and Kylie could sense the aliens' dismay at this turn of event.

                "They're safely away," Kylie reported, seeing Deathscythe and Heavyarms had entered the battle near Earth. "If there's such place."

                Zechs spared a glance at his screen. The arrival of the two Gundams in the battle near Earth had tipped the balance to their favor. He then returned his gaze back at the darkness where Noin had disappeared to. "Good. Now all we need to do is to deal with the targets before us."

                Kylie parried the blow Con'trai sent to her. She then spun as her other beam saber sliced through a Mican trooper. She then paused to wipe the sweat that had trickled down her cheek. "Easier said than done," she said, knowing that the both of them still need to handle the four remaining Mican warrior. She then grinned at Zechs. "But then again, a Gundam pilot is used to losing battles."

                Zechs returned her grin with one of his own. It was rare for anyone to see the girl even smile. And he wanted to make the most of it. After all, the girl was the adopted daughter of his best friend. "Just as long as we all come out on top." Then he saw something flickered on his screen. He frowned. "Kylie, watch out!"

                His warning came too late. He saw K'Rin rammed into Nova, hard. The bright gold Gundam was thrown away as K'Rin prepared for the next assault. Zechs tried to disentangle himself from Trec'na and some troopers but knew that he was too far away to give any assistance to the former assassin.

                Somehow, Kylie gained control of Nova and managed to dodge K'Rin's blow just in time. From the corner of her eyes, she saw one of the Mican warriors left the battlefield. "Zechs, Keil'n is going after Trowa and Duo," she warned.

                Zechs spared a glance at the vanishing Mican warrior as he fought Trec'na. "There's nothing we can do about him. The two will have to handle Keil'n themselves," he said, struggling against the troopers.

                "Keil'n will not fail as S'Irai did," said K'Rin. Kylie glared at her and Con'trai, the two Mican warriors that she had to face now. "And so shall we," K'Rin continued as she and Con'trai dove to attack Nova at the same time.

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                Quatre backed, trying to gain as much space between himself and Warleader Varishk as possible. Seeing that the only exit was the one behind Varishk, Quatre realized that he was lured into a trap. And so, he kept his distance and watched Varishk's movement carefully.

                His towering appearence was indeed intimidating and impressive at the same time. In fact, now that Quatre was looking at him face-to-face, he felt as if he was five again and looking up at his father, after being caught doing something wrong. For a moment, Quatre fought the urge to lower his head in reverence. It was only by sheer will and the memory of the prisoners that gave Quatre strength to look at him in the eye.

                "Well meet, Quatre Raberba Winner," said the Warleader. His voice was as powerful as his appearance. "I've been waiting this day to meet you Gundam pilots face to face."

                Quatre worked his numb lips to say something. "Why have you come here?" he managed to ask, wincing as he felt how stupid his question sounded. After all, _he_ was on the Warleader's ship. The intruder in this room ought to be Quatre himself. 

The Warleader raised his eyebrow in amusement. "To lure you here, Quatre Raberba Winner." Seeing the human's startled look, he continued. "Yes, I know of your plan to free the slaves. I know about your two Gundam pilots releasing the slaves as we speak." He smiled, crookedly. "They're being taken care of right now, I can assure you."

                Realizing that Heero and Wu Fei were in danger, Quatre inched his way closer to the exit.

                "You're not going anywhere, Winner. Not until I'm finished with you," said the Warleader, a blade tip snapped up and stopped inches at Quatre's throat. Quatre flinched away from the blade and raised his hands in surrender. He knew it would be useless to take on an armed man.

                Suddenly, the Warleader threw the blade to the floor. It stuck in the floor, inches away from Quatre's feet. Quatre looked at the blade and back at the Warleader in confusion. "I heard you're a well trained fencer, boy. And so, now I'm challenging you to a duel."

                So familiar this scene was that Quatre took a step back. He had been in this situation once, just a few years ago. That time, his opponent had been a girl whose heart was seeking peace through the sufferings in war. A girl who's now one of the people he considered as friends.

                And looking at Varishk, Quatre realized that he knew about that too.

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                Fighting not to lose consciousness, Heero dimly awared of Wu Fei circling his opponent. Both had tried very hard to defeat the alien woman but it seemed to Heero that Wu Fei was the only one doing much better than he was. And that was only because Wu Fei was a trained martial artist.

                Huddling at the far corner of the room, the prisoners whined and held each other, frightened. Seeing their distraught state, Heero realized that it was important for them, more than ever, to get the prisoners to safety. _Then_, they could handle the aliens without endangering the prisoners' life.

                Suddenly, as Wu Fei was leaping away from Sira's deadly kick, something or someone hit her from behind, like a flash of thunder. Sira fell only to catch herself with her arms as that someone landed between her and Wu Fei.

                Both Gundam pilots and prisoners gaped.

                Standing before them was Mylin, her face was calm but there was a determine look in her eyes. Seeing her again reminded Wu Fei painfully of his wife, Long Meirang. Her blue black hair shining, in her proud and cautious pose, Mylin looked like a perfect picture of a goddess of vengeance.

                She glared at Sira, triumphantly but her words were directed to Wu Fei and Heero. "Get your people to safety, now!"

                "Mylin!" Sira growled, her fist clenching. "I've always known that you're a traitor."

                Mylin returned Sira's angry glare with a hateful look of her own. "I am only a traitor to your Warleader, Sira but I'm a faithful servant to the emperor." A look of realization crossed over Sira's face. "Yes, now you know. I am the Emperor's Eye," Mylin revealed. "My name is Mylin Sar' Heran and I lay my Vengeance Quest upon you, Sira Yath' Salath. You will pay for the death of my little sister, Tsylar!"

                For a moment Sira blinked. Then, recognization hit her. "Yes, the child of the sun," she whispered as she was beginning to see the resemblance. Then, her eyes turned cold as she smiled her frosty smile. "So that little girl was your sister, huh? Then I shall gladly accept your challenge, traitor."

                "Wu Fei, get out of here now!" said Mylin, as she began to circle around her opponent. "Mariemaia's waiting outside."

                Heero detached his gaze on the two and addressed Wu Fei. "Go get Mariemaia and lead these people to their shuttles," he said, seeing that Sira was no longer concerned about them. Her attention was focused wholely on Mylin.

                Wu Fei gave him a glance. "What about you?"

                "I'm going to find Quatre."

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                Quatre always considered himself a competent fencer. Those who had the privileged to fence with him or watch him fenced always thought that he was one of the greatest young fencers ever. Even Elleina, his sister who taught him how to fence, admitted that he was the best she ever seen.

                However, his skill was nothing compared to the Warleader's. When the Warleader trapped him in the hall, he had challenged Quatre to a fencing duel for his way out. And having no other choice, Quatre accepted it.

                Now, he was beginning to regret it.

                The Warleader was a very merciless opponent. Each advance he made was like a hungry lion. Each strike was not only to challenge Quatre but to kill him too. Before long, Quatre was forced to take the defensive mode, trying to parry all the Warleader's blow and escape from him. But each time Quatre made his move towards the exit, the Warleader stopped him with a killer thrust that would've finished Quatre if it wasn't for his quick move.

                Soon, Quatre began to wonder if he was going to walk away from this duel alive.

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                Patience was never McGarth's virtue. He stared at the screen, at the war that was taking place, his teeth gritted and his fist clenched. This war was taking too long! More and more of his people were being slaughtered by the aliens despite the additional help from the Maganac corp. And the worst thing was, the Telrhani forces were getting a little too close to Earth for comfort. Some even managed to enter Earth's atmosphere, only to be shot down by the Maganacs.

                Scornfully, McGarth turned his attention to the Gundam pilots. Even with the two assisting the Preventers, their presence did little to tip the balance. And now that one of the Mican warriors had joined the fight, it looked like the two Gundams might be too busy for a while.

                Turning to the remaining two Gundams, which were trying to hold the enemy troops near Uranus, McGarth shook his head in disgust. If he was the one in charge, he wouldn't even asked for their help. He would lock the pilots in and throw away the keys. After the war in AC 195, he had worked hard to get rid of five Gundam pilots, only to find two more appearing. But McGarth was not one easily discouraged. He _will_ find a way to get rid of _all_ the Gundam pilots.

                'No!' His thoughts screamed as another one of his men were shot down. He turned to look at the progress the two new Gundam pilots were making. 'This is taking too long! If I don't do anything right now, my men would die!' he thought, fists balled. He was deeply envious that the Gundam pilots were all still alive while _his_ men were being killed every second.

                'I must do something!' he desperately thought. Then, his fingers brushed against a solid object in his pocket. Remembering what he was carrying, he took it out and examined it. It was a passkey. The thing that was given to him by one who design the new Preventer headquarters on MO V. The very thing that could tip the balance of the war.

                Slowly as not to alert anyone, especially Lady Une, McGarth made his way towards one of the deserted consoles at the back. There, his fingers traced on a small part on the smooth surface of the console until he heard a click. Instantly, a key slot appeared, almost magically.

                McGarth, his face twisted in an evil smile, inserted the passkey.

                That's when the whole base was deafened by the sound of blaring alarms. McGarth saw Une, Relena, Vincent and the rest of the Preventer agents in the control room exchanging alarmed glances, not knowing what was happening.

                Then as one, Lady Une, Relena and Sally turned their heads towards him and saw a hidden panel revealed itself. But what made their eyes widened was the sight of a red button and McGarth, pushing the button with a nasty smile on his face.

                Before any of them could even tell him to stop, the headquarters shook violently as the universe exploded!

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	15. Chapter 15: Sacrifice

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!☺

**TIMELINE:** The story mostly takes place after Endless Waltz. To be more precise, one year after Endless Waltz. That means two years after my very own Treize's Revenge series.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST XV: SACRIFICE. 

By Arayelle Lynn.

Zechs was so occupied with Trec'na and his back up Mican troopers that he barely noticed the bright white light coming at the corner of his eyes. Instinctively, his body shuddered as the memory of a lost battle not long time ago came into mind. That's when he saw it. That's when he finally recognized it!

                The particular bright white light once belonged to the battleship Libra, _his_ battleship. But the battleship had fired its last beam on Earth before being destroyed. Even so, it caused a lot of devastation that took years for Earth to recover. Now, the same, destructive, white light was slicing through the universe like an arrow. And they're all right in its path!

                Acting mostly on his reflexes, Zechs rolled away from the path of the beam. He spared a glance at Kylie, who was battling K'Rin and Con'trai. And obviously, they did not see the blast coming. "Kylie! Get away," Zechs found himself screaming on top of his lungs.

                Hearing the fear in his voice, Kylie instinctively spun away to safety, as did Con'trai. But K'Rin, who was so engrossed in getting her revenge, did not see the blast until it hit her. Still, she tried to escape the deadly white light but it was too late. In a matter of seconds, she was drowned in the bright radiance. Then, there was silence.

                Zechs watched the now familiar white light reached the mothership, tearing its hull. In horror, he watched some of the Preventer's mobile suits and slaveships fell into destruction being in the path of the cannon's target. In that one second, Zechs found himself praying that his wife wasn't one of them. And in that one second, he swore to make somebody pay for this horrific display.

                Shaken and shocked beyond words, Kylie didn't even see the shrapnel from K'Rin's spear pierced into Nova's armor until it was too late. By then, she only heard the sickening sound of metals grinding and broken glasses. When an excruciating pain tore into her, Kylie could only scream.

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                Trowa saw the white light coming from MO V. A light he thought that he would never see again. He saw the light destroying everything in its path, enemy and allies alike and disappeared into space, heading towards where the mothership was. All that happened in just a split second. But that split second caused too many lives.

                For a moment, time seemed to stop for all of them. 

Then, he heard a scream.

                "Kylie!" he heard Zechs exclaimed, there's a haunted tone in his voice.

                No answer.

                Trowa opened the channel. But instead of the visual inside Nova, there was only static. "Kylie?" he enquired, deeply concerned. Something must've happened to her. Could it be that she was hit by the cannon blast as well?

                When there was no answer, Trowa heard another voice tried. "Kylie?" That was Duo.

                Trowa was about to try again when he heard her. But it was only on audio mode. "It's okay," said the girl, her voice sounded shaky. "I'm fine." But her voice failed to convince him and so Trowa switched his screen to the visual Zechs was receiving and gasped.

                A shrapnel was protruding through Nova's armor, right through the cockpit!

                "I'm fine," Kylie repeated, her voice sounded more like herself now. "I was just shaken."

                That maybe right but Trowa didn't want to take any chances. Especially not with the girl Quatre cared deeply for. "Give me your status," he said, acting more and more like a leader and a big brother now.

                "Nova's not badly damaged, aside from the shrapnel. He can still fight."

                But he didn't want to believe it. And Trowa wanted to make sure of it now while the Telrhanis were still spooked. "What happened to your visual?" he prompted, wondering why he couldn't see the inside state of the new Gundam.

                "Busted. The shrapnel shattered the screen," Kylie responded. Then her voice became cold. "Look, don't waste your time on me. I wouldn't be so concern about you if you were in my shoes," she snapped, as they heard the irritation in her voice. And so, Trowa decided to drop the matter.

                However, Zechs was the only one who had seen how badly the impact had hit Nova. He wasn't convinced by her words. But as Zechs was about to check on her, something moved from his side. "Killers! Is this what you humans interpret as honor?" Trec'na growled, grieving for his lost commander, K'Rin.

                Zechs, glancing at a screen, realized that the war had resumed.

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                When Kylie saw how bad her situation was, she knew that she had to lie to the others. Not only did the shrapnel pierced through her cockpit, it went through her flesh as well, just below her heart and exited at the back of her seat, pinning her fast. Her oxygen was leaking and Kylie estimated that she had about eighty minutes before her air run out.

                But that's not the thing that worried her. Even as she tried to suppress herself from being defeated by pain, she could feel her mind going numb as shock was starting to creep upon her. All these were the reasons why she had lied to Trowa. The reasons why she had told him that her visual was broken, where else she had disconnected the visual system before answering his hails. She cannot let them see how badly her wound was.

                Sensing that the war around her had resumed, Kylie tried to remove the shrapnel so it won't hinder her movements. But as soon as Nova's hand closed onto the shrapnel to yank it out, a searing pain sent a shock through her body.

                She didn't even realized that she had cried out until she heard Zechs' voice. Gritting her teeth, she fought back the darkness that seemed so welcoming at the moment. "Mind your own business, Merquise!" she snapped, glancing at Epyon as it battled Trec'na. She couldn't afford to show her weakness to any of them right now. _Especially_ not right now.

                Then, the controls in Nova's cockpit chimed as the side screen blinked, showing that the enemy was making a beeline towards her. Ceasing her effort to free herself from the shrapnel, she pulled the throttle and reentered the war, bleeding and very much in pain.

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                Quatre almost got the upper hand on the Warleader when the ship suddenly shook violently. Unable to control his footing, Quatre stumbled backwards, hitting his head on the wall, hard. For a moment, darkness swirled around him as the blow on the head caused him to lose consciousness. Quatre fought back the darkness, only to realize that he was too late.

                The Warleader, who also had lost his footing, stumbled in Quatre's way. The tip of his blade ran into Quatre!

                Quatre cried in pain as he felt the blade cut into him. Then, came an earth-shattering explosion, which sent both fighters sprawling on the floor. Instinctively, Varishk rolled back onto his feet and looked away, his eyes narrowed as he pondered had happened. For a moment, his moaning enemy was forgotten.

                "Starhkis!" he called out to a screen at the sidewall. But no one answered him. Frowning, he looked down at the moaning human lying before him. "What have your people done?" he demanded, as the ceiling started to fall on them. Varishk looked up, barely avoided a rubble.

                He looked at Quatre accusingly. "What have you done to my ship?" he shouted, making his way towards the cowering Gundam pilot, menacingly. But then there was another explosion and Quatre saw the Warleader disappeared under a rubble.

                Confused and helplessly in pain, Quatre closed his eyes, praying for the end. Then, he felt a presence as a shadow fell on top of him. Fighting back the beckoning sleep, Quatre opened his eyes. A figure was crouching before him, Heero.

                "Quatre, are you alright?" Heero enquired, deeply concerned. It took Quatre a moment to comprehend what he said and nodded.

                "Never… better," he rasped, gritting his teeth as Heero helped him up. "You don't look so well yourself," he commented, noticing Heero's cuts and bruises all over his body. It was as if Heero had just been in a fight and barely walked out of it. His hair was matted with blood and a trail of blood trickled down his cheek.

                "Got caught up with an old friend," Heero replied, looking around the room. "Where's Varishk?"

                Quatre nodded at the rubble in which Varishk disappeared under. "He's there. Most probably dead," he gasped as a shot of pain went through him. He took some slow breaths to repress it.

                Heero stared at the rubble, uninterested. "That's good. Let's get out of here. Wu Fei has the prisoners safe and we need to get out as fast as we could. We don't want to be caught in the explosion again." 

They staggered out of the room and into the bright hallway, with Heero mostly supporting Quatre. The blonde pilot then noticed that the shakings and explosions seemed to have ceased after he passed out.

                "What happened, really?" Quatre croaked, feeling his chest burning like molten larva.

                Heero glanced around them for any signs of the aliens. But found none. "I don't know," he answered. "But if you want a guess then I have one word for you. McGarth." He looked at Quatre with his steel Prussian blue eyes. "Which is the more reason why we should get out of here."

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                Wu Fei waited until all the prisoners were out of the detention hall. The two Telrhani women, Sira and Mylin, continued to battle each other as if the world around them did not exist. Wu Fei could almost bet that the two barely even noticed that the prisoners were all gone and that aside from the two of them, Wu Fei was the only one left.

                Making his way out, Wu Fei paused long enough to study Mylin for the last time. She looked like one who is prepared to die. Her resolved face and the cold look in her eyes reminded him of someone he had known a long time ago just before that someone died, Wu Fei realized with a pang.

                It was then Wu Fei realized, with a start,  that he was reluctant to leave her like this. That he felt that he cannot let her die. Somehow, Mylin must've sensed his thoughts because she spared a glance at him. "What are you doing still standing around here for?" she snapped, wiping the blood that trickled from her split lips as a result of Sira's precise high kick. "Get going!"

                "Don't die, Mylin," said Wu Fei, as Mylin blocked a blow from Sira. "You and I still need to deal with our unfinished business," he reminded her, hoping that would help her survive the duel against Sira.

                Mylin defended herself from Sira's vicious blows but spared a glance at Wu Fei again. "Just go, Chang Wu Fei. Leave!" She yelled at the last word for emphasis as well as to mark her coming assault on Sira. Seeing both were locked in a furious mortal combat, Wu Fei left the hall, running.

                Then, there was an earthquake and an explosion and Wu Fei was knocked down. For a moment, there was only darkness as the sky started to fall on him. After what seemed like lifetimes, the earthquake stopped and the darkness began to dissipate.

                Picking himself from the floor, Wu Fei began to realize what had happened. He had witnessed this kind of explosion before. It was… "Libra," he voiced, feeling the shock wearing off. A thought came to him. "McGarth!" His disgust over the cowardly man turned into anger and hate. "He must be behind this!"

                Then, that anger and hatred turned to one of fear. He suddenly realized something. "Mylin!" he breathe, remembering her and Sira who was in the hall he had just left. Turning, Wu Fei saw that the way had been blocked when the ceiling collapsed. Fighting the urge of digging through the debris to check on her, Wu Fei ran the other way. If the Telrhani spy was killed, then she had her vengeance and her job was over. _His_ job now was to make sure the prisoners got to safety and the wormhole device destroyed.

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                When the great explosion occurred, Mariemaia had been pretty scared. She wondered what was happening in the world outside but Mylin had told her, specifically, to wait in the hangar for the others. She did and soon, one by one, the other prisoners appeared.

                Right now, they were all looking at her. Fear and confusion were clearly written in their eyes, reflected on their faces. They looked at her for a hope that she would have the answer but how would she when she herself was asking the same question? What happened in the war?

                For the thousandth times, Mariemaia glanced back at the entrance, hoping that the Telrhani spy would appear any moment. But she didn't. Mariemaia didn't really know what role Mylin had in all this. Didn't know why she was helping them out. But Mariemaia was very glad to have her as a friend. Seeing the Telrhani fought her own kind told the little girl enough that she would _never_ want her to be an enemy.

                That thought brought back the previous horror when Mylin was rescuing her. Mariemaia had thought that they would die when the guards appeared, training their weapons on them. But as the guards were shooting to kill, Mylin had pulled herself and Mariemaia back into the dark cell. Then, she single-handedly killed all the guards within seconds. Mariemaia had never seen someone with such skills and speed before. Mylin could be as good as the Gundam pilots, or perhaps even better!

                Suddenly, her head perked up when she heard something. Running footsteps. "Mylin?" she was about to say when a familiar figure appeared. "Wu Fei!" she said with profound relief as he made his way towards the bewildered prisoners.

                He checked their condition and was satisfied that none of them were badly hurt. Even the little girl, Mariemaia was scratch less. Then, remembering where they were, he shouted. "What are you people standing around here for? Get on the shuttles. We're leaving,"

                That seemed to bring the prisoners awake. Quickly, they boarded the shuttles that he had prepared. Those who knew how to fly entered the cockpit as the Gundam pilot made his way towards his awaiting Gundam Altron.

                "Wu Fei," said Mariemaia, stopping him. He looked back at her, quizzically. "Mylin?" she asked, biting her lips.

                Something battled inside the Gundam pilot then. But it quickly disappeared. "She has something else to take care of," he answered. Then he nodded at one of the shuttle. "Quickly, get aboard the shuttle," he ordered. "Or Kylie would never forgive me if she heard we left you behind." Mariemaia was surprised to hear his voice softened at the last statement. But before she could contemplate about it any further, Wu Fei was already in his Gundam.

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                When the shock finally subsided, everyone was glaring at McGarth. Two of the Preventer agents were holding onto him before he could push the button the second time. For a moment there was silence in the control room. McGarth looked at all of them, defiantly.

                Then the door flew open and a flash of bright gold burst in. Her face was red in anger. "What the hell just happened?" she demanded.

                Instead of answering Dorothy's question, they all turned to look at McGarth for an explanation. The man looked at Lady Une's pale face and snickered. "You didn't know, did you?" he asked, glad to have the advantage over her. "Of course you don't. MO V's complete blueprint was never showed to you."

                He was satisfied to see the surprise look on Lady Une's face. "When the ESUN council decided to build a permanent base for the Preventers, they've added a secret weapon." He paused, seeing the realization on their faces. "Yes, they installed a beam cannon. The same one that was destroyed on Libra."

                "Why?" asked Relena Darlian, shocked to find herself standing near the destructive weapon. "I thought you're against all sorts of weapon. You're the one who wanted to get rid of the Gundams so much so we could all have a world without weapons."

                McGarth snorted. "That was the whole idea, Vice Foreign Minister. Originally, the cannon was built as Earth's defense _against_ the Gundams." Seeing the shock on their faces, he continued. "We know that a time will come when the Gundams would be our enemy. And so, we devised the only thing that could destroy a Gundam."

                "You were planning to execute them?" Vincent voiced, disbelief. He was shocked at how heartless McGarth sounded. 

                McGarth shrugged. "But then, who could've thought that it would be useful against the aliens," he said. There was a sick pleasure in his voice. "The cannon worked perfectly. The aliens never expected that blow." He smiled hungrily at the memory of the cannon destructive power.

                But nobody was smiling with him. Instead, they stared at him with profound hatred.

                Her face getting even angrier, Lady Une strode over to him and grabbed the front portion of his uniform in her hand. Her other hand coiled back, preparing for a punch. "What gives you the _right_ to build that accursed thing? In _my_ base above all?!"

                "I have every right," said McGarth, pushing her hand off him. "It was the council's decision, remember?" He then nudged his head defiantly. "Anyway, you should be grateful. We surely showed the aliens what we're made off."

                "Those were _my_ men you just vaporized. And yours as well," Lady Une argued, her control over her anger was forgotten. "Why did you sacrifice them needlessly? Who gave you the right to decide to use the weapon against the Telrhani fleet?"

                His face red, McGarth glared back at her. "This is war, _Colonel Une_," he said, reminding her of her former rank. Her subordination. "There are bound to be casualties. All I have done was using any necessary means to ensure our victory, even sacrificing our men." He shrugged. "Besides, the ones who were actually in danger were the Gundam pilots."

                "You were actually _aiming_ to destroy the mothership?" Relena voiced, piecing together what he had just told them. "With Heero, Wu Fei and Quatre on it? And Mariemaia and the prisoners?"

                McGarth shrugged. "And the two new Gundams fighting near Uranus." Seeing the stricken look on everyone's face, he frowned, irritably. "Come now, I have my orders as you have yours. And my orders were to use any means necessary to _destroy_ the damn aliens." He glared at the two confused Preventer agents. "Step aside, I'm going for the second shot."

                Suddenly without warning, Relena hurled a chair at the console, where the control of the cannon was. The panel crackled and then died on impact as they all stared at Relena, surprised. "You are _not_ going to use that cannon again," said Relena, her voice was dangerously calm but all could see the quiet rage in her eyes. "As long as the cannon is functional, you're endangering the lives of those who fight out there for the survival of humanity. Not only that, you're endangering the colonies as well."

                Then, she stood eye-to-eye with McGarth. "I don't know how deep your hatred is for the Gundams but I can assure you that you will pay for what you have done to those who were killed by the beam cannon."

                "Well said, Relena," said a new voice. They all turned to see the President entering the room.

                "Mr. President, what are you doing here?" asked Vincent in astonishment. "I thought that…"

                He waved off Vincent's concern. "I _was_ on my way to Earth when we got caught in the battle." He glanced at the screen where the war had resumed. "The Maganacs were kind enough to make sure my shuttle stays intact. Good people, they are," he said. Then, his face darkened. "But when I saw that beam killed our brave men, I had to return."

                He strode over McGarth. "You're finished, McGarth. You and those people who support your cause. You made me see that the Gundams are not to be feared but people like you are." He glared at McGarth. "Compare to you, McGarth, those boys are like guardian angels. They're protecting the peace that they believe in. But you, you are the devil that once given power could end up destroying the world within seconds."

                He nodded at the two Preventer agents. "Take him away."

                Silence followed as McGarth was 'escorted' out. But it didn't last long when an agent spoke up. "Ma'am," she said, her forehead creasing. "There's something here that I think you should see." And image appeared, showing the wormhole.

                "What is it?" the President asked, seeing the strange look on Lady Une's face.

                "Something's coming from within the wormhole," the agent reported.

                It was Lady Une who made the revelation. "It's the Telrhani's reinforcements."

                Those in the control room gasped, staring at the screen. Sure enough, they could see something was coming out of the wormhole. Something that could thwart the progress the Earth forces were making. If they do not do anything right now, they might as well kiss their freedom good bye.

                But what can they do?

                Suddenly Sally spun around her seat. She called out to Lady Une. "What is it?" the head Preventer enquired, concern.

                "I found something in my scans," Sally reported as Lady Une stared at the screen. "When that beam cannon hit the mothership, it revealed this." A small space station of alien design could be clearly seen just on the other side of the mothership. From the readouts, it seemed as if there's a huge amount of power coming from it. Immediately, Lady Une reached the same conclusion as Sally.

                The mothership hadn't move because it _was _protecting something.

                "The wormhole device!" She exchanged glances with Sally. "So, the device isn't on the mothership at all. It had been outside the ship this whole time."

                Sally nodded. "The mothership sends out false signals to disrupt our sensors, just like the jammers in Deathscythe. And the ship's body protects it from our raw vision."

                Lady Une bit her lips, thinking. "We must contact the Gundams about this. One of them must destroy the device before the Terhani's reinforcement get here." She turned to the agent at the communication panel. "Patch me through Wing Zero." She glanced at Relena. "Heero would know what to do."

                She glanced around the faces in the room. All of them reflected the hopeful look back at her. 'Yes, Heero will succeed,' she thought.

                "I can't get through him," the agent reported, punching a few buttons. "And 04 and 05 as well. The mothership must be disrupting their signals too." She turned to look at her leader, uncertainly.

                Lady Une came over. "Then, patch me through the Gundam which is nearest to the mothership."

                "That would be Gundam Nova," the agent replied, reluctantly.

                'Kylie,' Lady Une thought. Does she dare send the girl to such a dangerous and important task? 'Yes, Kylie can do it,' she decided, shaking away the doubts and fears that were overwhelming her.

                "Patch me through."

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                The pain was excruciating. Every movement she made left her weakened, every twitch of her nerves left her gasping. The only thing that made her stay conscious was the Zero system. And the fact that Quatre and Heero needed her. That's what made her fought on, by making the pain as part of her.

                Somehow, Zechs must've figured out that she was wounded because he was taking on most of the Mican troopers around them. At first, Kylie was tempted to coldly refuse his assistance. But now, she was beginning to feel thankful for his presence. His efforts made her able to battle Con'trai and his supporting troopers. 

Since both of their commanders were down, the Micans had been executing unorganized attacks. It seemed as though they couldn't really fight well when it came to single, unstrategized battle. And that proved to be an advantage to the Gundams since all of them are used to fighting alone, as well as in a team.

                However, as she fought, her thoughts were mostly on Heero, Quatre and Mariemaia. The blast from the beam cannon had destroyed almost half the mothership. She was mainly concern if the three survived the blast and was relieved that the beam cannon hadn't spouted its deadly blast anymore.

                Suddenly, something slammed against Nova, as she cried out. Gripping hard on the thin thread of consciousness, she swung the twin beam sabers, destroying the Mican trooper that had slammed into her as a distraction and the one who was closing in on her.

                "Heero, Quatre, please hurry up," she prayed, knowing she couldn't take the pain any longer. From the corner of her eyes, she saw some of the Mican troopers left the battle to defend the mothership from Noin's troops.

                "No!" she found herself choke. They would complicate the rescue mission. A glance at Zechs told her that he was too far away to catch up with them and far too busy compared to her. But a look at her wound told her that she had not the strength to make such a perilous journey. Especially since there was something coming out from the wormhole, she noticed with a start.

                But that's when fate told her it's time to go, permanently. 

Her comm. chimed.

                "Kylie, are you there?" Lady Une's voice was loud and clear. "Why can't I see you?"

                "The visual is down," she answered, irritably. "Look, I'm busy. What do you want?"

                "We've found the wormhole device. We couldn't get through to Heero and the others to inform them of this. And you're the only Gundam close enough," her voice trailed off.

                Right there and then, Kylie knew what she must do. The answer was made clear to her now. And all doubts and hopes shattered at that moment. The vision Zero had showed her earlier on told her the decisions she must make. The dream of her past had already decide her fate before she was even aware of it. There had been one reason why she was the one badly injured. And she accepted it calmly, as one who was returning into the arms of God.

                "Are you listening to me?" she heard Lady Une said. "The Telrhani's reinforcements are coming through the wormhole. You must destroy it before they get here."

                Her eyes lit with new fire, Kylie gripped the throttle tightly. A new strength radiated throughout her body as she destroyed all the enemies around her. She didn't even realized that she had destroyed Con'trai in the process too. Her thoughts were only on her goal and her final mission.

                Glancing at the screen where Lady Une should have appeared if she had switch on the visual, she nodded. The old, raging, cold fire burning inside her replenished her weakened body. "Mission accepted," she said, not hearing the gasps in the background at hearing how similar she sounded like Heero.

                And Nova left towards the depth of space. To its final destination.

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                After getting the prisoners out from the mothership, Wu Fei found that his job was far from over. Now, he, Heero and Quatre had to make sure the prisoners got away safely from the Telrhani fighters that had converged their attacks on them. The three fought hard to shield the prisoners from the fighters and to provide them with enough opportunity to escape to safety.

                Wu Fei bit back rude words as his beam trident winked off. Throwing the useless trident against an incoming Telrhani, he used the only weapons that he had left. The dragon fangs and the Vulcan cannons. 

As he fought, he spared a few glances at his two comrades. Heero's twin buster rifle had been discarded long time ago, having drained dry. He's now using his beam saber but that's also seemed to be nearing its power limit as Heero now had started using his Vulcan cannons to preserve the power of the beam saber.

                As for Quatre, his main weapons now were the Crusher Shield and the Vulcan cannons. His Energy Sickles were in pieces, having drained of power. And Wu Fei saw that Heero had purposely stationed Quatre near the prisoners' shuttles just to spare the injured pilot from the full force of the battle. But Wu Fei knew it won't be enough. Even with Noin troops fighting with them, it won't be long before they all run out of firepower. And what's worse, they couldn't call for assistance because something was jamming their long-range frequency.

                And the worst thing was, something was coming through the wormhole. Something that spelled trouble.

                Suddenly, Wu Fei heard a series of explosion. He turned to look and saw a tiny star making its way towards them. A tiny star that look a lot like… "Kylie!" he heard Quatre Winner exclaimed.

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                "Kylie!" Quatre exclaimed, the pleasure in his voice was apparent. He then saw her destroying everything in her path as she made her way towards them. She was still too far away to help them. However, her presence was just the thing they needed to motivate their efforts to escape.

                "… status," he heard his comm. crackled. A transmission was coming through from Nova.

                "We're low on firepower but we're holding on," he answered. Then, to his dismay, his Vulcan cannons clicked empty. Next to him, he saw Heero's beam saber sputtered off and Wu Fei tossed away his empty Vulcan cannons. "We're _really_ low," he muttered under his breath.

                Kylie must've seen their predicament. "Then, you three will have to use all you have left to shield the prisoners and get out of the way," she advised but coming from her, it sounded like an order. "I'll cover your escape."

                There was silence and it was Heero who spoke first. "Roger that," he said, there's a hint of reluctance in his voice. But he knew that the civilians must be evacuated first to minimize casualty. And right now, the fate of the prisoners _and_ Noin's troops rested on his shoulders.

                "We will use our Gundams to shield them from harm," he said, more like a statement than a suggestion. Reluctantly, the other two Gundams positioned themselves around the prisoners' ships. Nova continued to fire on the fighters from afar and as soon as there was an opening, the three Gundams led the prisoners' ships away from the Telrhani fleet, towards the incoming new Gundam.

                Quatre gritted his teeth against pain as the Telrhani continued to fire on them. Though he used his Crusher Shield to deflect the incoming fires, there were still shots that hit home, making his pain from his injuries even harder to endure. He wondered about Heero, wondering if his own injuries were giving him as much pain as Quatre's own. And wondering if it was the reason why he agreed to Kylie's suggestion and let her handle the firework.

                'No, that's not it,' he thought to himself. 'Heero feel that it is his responsibility to get the prisoners and Noin's troops out of danger. And myself too, unless I have my say to it.' He clutched his bleeding side. 'But once we're behind Nova, he would hold position with Kylie and help her obliterate the rest of the fighters following us. He would order Wu Fei and I to lead the others to safety.'

                Quatre then watched the tiny Nova grew in size as it made its way towards them in maximum speed. And the more he watched it coming, the greater his hopes were. Hope that they will get out of this mess alive and hope that they will all survive the war.

                A few minutes later, Nova had grown to its normal size as they were just a few meters away from each other. But something startled Quatre then. Nova hadn't reduce its speed to hold its position. Instead, it accelerated and flew passed them!

                "What are you doing?" he heard Heero asked. He too was taken by surprise.

                "Sally found the wormhole device. I'm here to destroy it," she answered, making a beeline towards the mothership. "I leave the prisoners and the rest of the fighters to you, Heero." With that, she cut off their connection. Hearing what she was going to do, Heero saw that some of the alien fighters broke pursuit to stop her. But he knew even the light weight fighters couldn't match the incredible speed of Gundam Nova.

                As the exchange between Heero and Kylie transpired, Quatre was thinking about another discovery. When Nova had flew passed him, he discovered that a shrapnel was protruding through Nova's armor, right into the cockpit. And finally, he remembered that he had received no visual from Nova's cockpit when Kylie contacted him.

                'Something's wrong,' he decided, fearfully.

@@

                'What is she planning to do?' Heero wondered, furiously. He tried to read his twin's mind to predict what she was thinking but his own mind was still clouded by surprise and pain. And the alien fighters were not helping him in the matter either. 

                Firing his Vulcan cannons, Heero forced himself to remain calm. It was then a thought came into mind. A thought that sprouted when he recalled something peculiar Kylie had done before entering the battlefield.

                Apparently, Quatre reached the same conclusion too when he suddenly exclaimed, "No! She cannot be thinking of that."

"Yes she is," Heero confirmed. "She's going to ram the space station and use the self detonation switch in Nova to destroy the wormhole device and the Telrhani mothership!" His jaw was set as he hit the annoying alien fighters. "She's planning to take them all down with her."

@@

                "What!" Trowa found himself gasped. He heard Duo echoed the same thing too. Both of them had kept their channel open and so they heard what the others had said. Including the part where Heero said Kylie was planning to ram the wormhole device.

                "What's with this girl and ramming spaceships, anyway?" he heard Duo growled. "Does she have some sort of a death wish?" He snorted. "Or is she just plain crazy, thinking that her thick head could ram into anything."

                Trowa shook his head. "I don't think that's it, Duo." He looked around. The enemy had been completely destroyed, safe a few determined and desperate alien fighters that were being handled by the Maganacs and the Earth forces. The flagships and Mican Warrior Keil'n were also destroyed, after a furious battle with the two Gundams. Now, there's no need for their presence there. "The place is secured, Duo. Let's help Heero and the others."

                With that, Gundam Heavyarms and Deathscythe soared towards deep space.

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                Captain Stharhkis struggled to regain control. After the deadly white light hit the ship, everything was thrown into a state of chaos. Nearly half the people on the bridge lay dead, being buried by rubbles that fell on top of them when the mothership was hit. Then, he started to hear reports from the battlefield, indicating that they were losing, which's still unacceptable to Stharhkis.

                For a thousandth times, Stharhkis cursed the humans for their barbaric beam cannon. He had heard about its power but he had also heard that such cannon didn't exist anymore. And again he cursed the humans. He had always thought that they were a dishonorable race.

                From the damage reports he had received, the blast had caused the ship to lose its engine, rendered them motionless. The internal communication was partly down and they lost almost half the ship. About the only thing that was still functioning was the weapon system and Stharhkis was determined to use that to protect the mothership and the precious prize on the other side of the ship.

                As the crew busied themselves, Stharhkis wondered about the Warleader. He had tried to contact him but he didn't get any answer. And he was beginning to think the worse. The Warleader and his bodyguard/lover, Sira were in the below decks where the blast hit the most and Stharhkis was beginning to think that they had perished.

                'No, not the Warleader,' he thought. He knew the Warleader to be someone of many lives. Varishk had faced many deadly situations that almost end his life, situations even more peril than this, and he always came out alive. 'No, the Warleader is alive,' he thought, fists clenching. 'And he will make the humans pay.'

                "Captain!" a voice jarred him to their present predicament. He turned to regard the young officer at the helm. The young Telrhani looked back at him, his face bore a terrible news. "The humans have discovered the location of the wormhole device. The one called Gundam Nova is making its way towards it."

                "What about the reinforcements from the motherworld?"

                "They're on their way. Estimated time of arrival ten minutes."

                Stharhkis slammed a fist on the console. "Damn! Anything could happen in 10 minutes time. It would only take less than 5 minutes for a Gundam to destroy their target." He gritted his teeth. "Damn the humans and their Gundams."

                He turned to the soldier on the tactic console. "Fire the cannons. I want that Gundam destroyed!" The soldier obeyed his command as Stharhkis turned his attention to the new threat. He balled his fists. 'Warleader Varishk, where are you?"

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                Sira stirred. Everything around her was dark as if she had been thrown into the abyss. Remembering the traitor Mylin, Sira rose quickly, only to fall back to the floor gasping in pain. She coughed and felt blood trailing down her lips. Her chest and lungs felt like fire as she realized how painful every movements she made.

                Her eyes searched the area, until it rested on the pile of rubble where Mylin had been standing. Satisfied at the thought of the dead Emperor's Eye, she started to close her eyes to rest, permanently.

                That's when she heard a noise.

                Startled, Sira's eyes flew open. She stared at the approaching dark figure. Unable to move any longer, Sira let the figure approached her but instead of feeling the finishing blow, she felt herself being lifted by a pair of strong arms. "Sira." A soft husky voice pierced through her ears.

                She looked up to the face of her lover. "Warleader?" She smiled, wishing she had enough strength to touch his face. "You're alive, my lord." Her voice sounded surprisingly weak. Then, her eyes hardened. "I was right, my lord. Mylin is a traitor. Or was…" she trailed off, nodding at the rubble a few meters away.

                Varishk nodded. Then her body shook as painful spasm hit her again. More blood dripped down her lips. "Hold on, Sira. I'll take you to the healer," he said, beginning to move towards the exit. But to his surprise, Sira shook her head.

                "No, my lord. You must leave this place right now before the Gundams launch their final assault." She coughed. "The mission is a failure but you must return to the Regent and plan another mission. Bringing me along would only slow you down."

                The Warleader shook his head. "No. I am not going to leave you behind nor am I going back to the Regent. I am defeated by a lower race and that would only bring shame upon me and my family if I return." He smiled at her. "If you're planning to die here, so am I."

                "No," said Sira, tears were starting to roll down her cheek. She stared at the handsome, battered face before her. The past sorrow that they endured, the sorrow that originated from the forbidden union between a master and his servant hit her again. Not being able to be his legally, Sira had always contented with being with him as a lover. That alone brought happiness to her life. And his as well.

                "You must leave. You must convince the Regent that you have fought a very worthy opponent. Not the humans in general but the Gundam pilots. You must be the one who warn him what they're capable of. You shall be the only one who understand them enough to ensure that the Regent do not underestimate them as we already did."

                Then somehow, her hand found some shred of strength to touch his face again. And she cried in joy for that. "I just wish that I could be there with you so I could cut off the tongue of those who'll try to bring shame upon your name." Her hand dropped again, exhausted. "I really want to stay by your side forever, my lord. My love."

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                The minute that Kylie approached the mothership, she was quickly being fired on. Although the mothership looked battered and seemingly helpless, its cannons could still blow Nova to space dust. And though Kylie had proven her piloting skills by dodging deadly asteroids near Mars, there were still shots that hit Nova. 

Personally, Kylie thought that the black dots that were floating before her eyes were blocking some of the incoming shots. And every time she was hit, she was a hairline from passing out. So, Kylie bit her tongue to use the pain to keep herself awake. She knew that she couldn't afford to fail now. Not if she wants to stop the vision Zero showed her from happening.

                And somehow in that hazy chaotic state of things, Nova chimed, showing Kylie's target on the screen. She had just passed the mothership's furious cannons and now there was nothing between her and  the space station, where the wormhole was. Though the mothership was still firing at her, Kylie barely felt the impact as if the cannons were just annoying fire ants biting her back. The only thing in her mind was the wormhole device and the endless darkness it offered.

                Tightening her hold on the throttle, she pushed Nova to its maximum speed towards the space station.

                As she plunged head on, she never heard Quatre's pleading cries.

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                Heero and Quatre watched helplessly as Nova flew towards the space station, dodging the shots coming from the mothership. By then, Trowa, Duo and Zechs had already joined them, battling the remaining alien fighters and Mican troopers. Zechs was still battling Trec'na who was trying to break away from the battle to stop Nova's attempt. But between keeping the enemy off the prisoners and covering Nova's back, the Gundams had their hands full. And the aliens seemed more than determined now to stop the bright gold Gundam from destroying the wormhole device.

                As for the pilot inside Nova's cockpit, no one seemed to be able to get through to her. They knew that the channel was still open, hearing Kylie's painful cry every time she was hit, but she was not answering their calls. It was as if she had shut off the world around her mentally. And that only made Heero even more than desperate to go after his twin sister.

                Then he heard Quatre gasped as Nova made it through. Now, there was nothing between her and the space station. Heero then saw Nova picked up speed and headed straight for the space station in a collision maneuver. 

                "No," he heard Quatre cried, desperately. "Kylie, eject! Eject!"

                But it was useless. If Kylie hadn't acknowledge their calls before why would she start now? Watching helplessly, the Gundam pilots saw Gundam Nova plunged deep into the space station.

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                Kylie didn't know how long she passed out. Not a single part of her body that didn't feel pain. Everything was like a blur to her and for a moment there, she felt like surrendering herself into the excruciating pain. But the sound of someone's voice reminded her that her job wasn't finished. Not yet.

                She opened her eyes slowly, gritting her teeth against the poundings in her head. Reaching up, she pulled off her cracked helmet. "Quatre?" she gasped, assessing her condition and finding it as hopeless as before.

                "Kylie, are you alright? Can you hear me?" came Quatre's desperate cries.

                Groaning, Kylie's hand closed in on the shrapnel that had pierced through her. Hoping that she could somehow escape from the imminent death, she tried to break free. But only to give up when pain shot through her. Looking down, she realized that she could no longer feel her legs. Chuckling bitterly at her rotten luck, Kylie made the distinction that she won't be able to go anywhere even if she manage to pull herself free.

                And so, casting away the bitter disappointment on her face, she did the only thing that she was able to do. Telling the others her hopeless predicament. Just so that they would understand why it had to happen. And accept it.

                She switched on her visual.

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                When their screens blinked, showing the inner state of Nova's cockpit, the visual shocked them speechless. Slumped on the seat was Kylie and protruding through her was a shrapnel that once looked like a spear! A great deal of blood pooled on the floor, indicating the amount of blood that she had lost. Her wound was so serious that they wondered what had kept her alive!

                They got their answer a second later.

                Smiling weakly, Kylie wiped her sweaty pale forehead. "I'm sorry, Quatre. I'm afraid I've bought a one-way ticket here. I don't think I can escape even if I wanted to," she said, staring at the shocked expression of the blond pilot she cared so much.

                "No! There must be a way," Quatre protested, finally gotten over the shock.

                Kylie shook her head, trying to lift the fog off her head. "No, there's no way. The spear is pinning me to the seat. I can't remove it at all." She looked at him, helplessness was clearly showing in her eyes. "I can't even move my legs."

She closed her eyes. "No, it seems that I must go down with Nova in this." With that, she raised her hand and pushed the self-detonation button, before anyone could stop her. Warning alarms blared in the cockpit as the countdown began.

                15 seconds…

                "There, it's set," Kylie said, her voice sounded surprisingly calm. It was as if she had already made a pact with death. As if she had accepted her eventual fate. "Don't worry. Nova's detonation device would be enough to destroy this space station _and_ the mothership. And then, the war would be over." She spoke the last word softly.

                14 seconds…

                "No!" they heard someone said. Suddenly, Wing Zero broke away, heading straight towards the space station at a speed that they never thought possible. "Heero!" Quatre called out but Heero had already switched off his comm.

                "Stay back, Heero!" Kylie warned him. She almost bolted from the seat, only to gasp in pain and sank back down. She closed her eyes and breathe slowly, trying to extinguish the pain in her body. "There's nothing you can do for me."

                But Heero didn't say a thing. And Wing Zero continued its descend.

                11…

                "If Heero's going, then I'm going too," said Quatre, determination flashed in his eyes.

                Kylie's eyes flew open. "No!" she gasped, hoarsely. "Trowa, stop him!"

                It took both Trowa and Duo to hold Sandrock. Quatre struggled against their hold, trying to break away and pleading them to allow him to help Kylie. Though their grips were firm and fast, Quatre's determination slowly winning over the struggle. It was then Altron ceased its fire on the alien fighters and slammed its fist into Sandrock's torso. 

"Stop it, Winner!" came Wu Fei's voice. "You won't be helping anyone if you're there. You're too weak and too emotional and you might end up getting yourself killed in the process," he spoke, harshly. He shook his head, a longing look could be clearly seen when he turned to where Heero was. "No, the only person who could help her now is Heero. He's the only one who could do it."

Hearing what Wu Fei said and realizing the truth in it, Quatre was forced to give in.

                He stared at the pale face on the screen and moaned. "Kylie, _please_ try to escape," he pleaded. But Kylie had already used up all her energy in the battlefield. She had only little to keep herself awake. She shook her head as tears of pain and anguish were threatening to roll down.

                8…

                She looked at them, too tired to smile. "Thank you all. You've saved my soul years ago when I thought that it was not worth saving. You Gundam pilots have shown me the value of living a life as a fulfilled soldier."

                Then she stared at Quatre. After a struggle, she managed to raise her hand and touched the screen, where his face was displayed. Quatre in turn raised his own bloody hand to meet hers. "Thank you for teaching me how to care, Quatre. I know you don't understand why I'm doing this but know that it's because I finally learned how to care."

                She winced as the pain grew. The seconds ticked by. "Tell Mariemaia that I'm sorry. Sorry that I couldn't be with her as I've promised."

                5…

                Then, her strength finally gave out. Her arm dropped limply but she held her gaze at Quatre. "I'm cold, Quatre," she whispered softly, feeling the chill creeping through her body. She no longer felt the pain. It was a distance away, just as Quatre's face suddenly was. She tried to grasp at it, to touch it again but her arms wouldn't move. "You're so far away," she mumbled, darkness swirling around her. She couldn't even see the tears on his face anymore.

                4…

                "Farewell, Quatre. You'll always be in my heart." She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Nova. We're only partners for a very short while." Then, the darkness claimed her, drowning everything around her. Kylie's last thought was of her and Treize, walking along the garden of roses behind Treize's mansion…

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                "No, Kylie!" Quatre cried out. They had lost the visual of Nova's cockpit just as Kylie lost consciousness. Frantically, he tried to regain their connection but it was fruitless. He tried to break free from Trowa, Duo and Wu Fei's hold, to just somehow rescue Kylie before it was too late, but failed. Drowning in his own desperation, he didn't even hear Zechs telling Heero to turn back.

                "Heero! You'll never make it," Zechs stated, feeling the need to at least spare another Gundam pilot from total destruction. "Turn around before Nova explode."

                3…

                But Wing Zero didn't slow down. "If I can't save her then I will die with her," came Heero's response, shocking all of them.

                Relena nearly dropped to her knees when she heard that. Heero's tone was unmistakable. He _was_ planning to die with Kylie. 'Could it be that Heero's in love with Kylie?' she thought, dreadfully, still unaware of the real Heero-Kylie relationship, like everybody else. Too weak to stand on her own, Relena let Vincent supported her.

                2…

                "No, it can't be," she whispered. She lunged forward, her arms outstretched. "Heero!"

                1…

                Even her scream couldn't drown Quatre's own cry of anguish as a white light exploded from the Telrhani space station, tearing through the wormhole device and destroying the mothership in pieces. Then, the whole universe was swallowed in a blinding white brilliance.

                A few seconds later everything, the space station, the alien mothership, the wormhole, Gundam Wing Zero and Gundam Nova were gone without a trace.

TO BE CONTINUED… 


	16. Chapter 16: A Place Nearby

**DISCLAIMER:** Gundam Wing belonged to Sunrise and co. I'm not making any profits out of this, so don't sue. Oh, those you think you've never heard before belong to me. And feedback is very welcome, people!☺

**TIMELINE:** The story mostly takes place after Endless Waltz. To be more precise, one year after Endless Waltz. That means two years after my very own Treize's Revenge series.

**NOTE:** The song 'A Place Nearby' used in this fic is not by me. It belongs to a Norwegian singer Lene Marlin (who also wrote 'Unforgivable Sinner') and I used the title of the song as the title to this chapter. Personally, I think it's a very beautiful song. One of my favorites.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST XVI: A PLACE NEARBY. 

By Arayelle Lynn.

                Emptiness was what he felt right then. He felt as empty as a void while staring at where his heart was. A cry was stuck in his throat when the explosion struck home and only now it escaped from his lips. Quatre howled, an anguish cries so sorrowful and painful that Trowa felt as if his heart was about to burst. He felt Quatre struggled against his hold, trying to break away so he could go to the spot where Nova exploded, hoping that somehow Kylie or Heero survived.

                But Trowa knew that if he couldn't restrain the hysterical Sandrock pilot now, he would lose him to madness forever. And so, he maintained his hold around Sandrock, swallowing his own sadness at losing two of his comrades, whom one he had considered a close friend. As he held onto Quatre, he vaguely heard Duo said something. Something about the way the two pilots would've wanted it to end.

                Next to him, Altron stood staring at the direction where their friends had disappeared. As usual, Trowa failed to read what's on Wu Fei's mind but he did see his body trembling. But whether it was from anger or sorrow, Trowa couldn't tell.

                As for Zechs, he was watching the wreckage in a respectful silence. But Trowa knew that something was playing in his mind, perhaps his failure to protect Treize's ward and Heero from death.

                Over the communication channel, Trowa could hear the sound of sobs coming from the Preventers base and from one of the prisoner's ships. Trowa sympathized with the trauma Mariemaia was experiencing, hoping that someone on the ship was offering the girl the comfort that she needed.

                His mind finally ceased wondering, Trowa finally realized that Sandrock had stopped struggling. Worried, Trowa opened the channel. "Quatre, are you alright?" he asked but there was no answer. Turning to regard the others, he said, "Quatre's hurt. I'm going to go back  to base. At least we could still save Quatre." His voice nearly broke when he said the last sentence.

                Then Heavyarms flew off, holding onto Sandrock like precious treasure. The others lingered around, seeing what was left of the war. The shockwave had destroyed most of the alien fighters. The surviving ones were all scattered and was fleeing deep into outer space. The wormhole was closed before the Telrhani reinforcements arrive. At the moment, the Earth force, Preventers, Maganacs and Gundam team were the only ones standing in the battlefield.

                For a moment, the war's over.

                Then Altron and Deathscythe escorted the prisoners back to the Preventer headquarters, leaving Epyon alone in the battlefield. Zechs looked over where he identified as Kylie's grave. "You'd truly produced your ideal perfect soldier, Treize. I applaud you for that, my old friend. She was someone I am proud to fight with."

                Zechs then raised his hand in a smart salute. "Rest in peace, Kyle Rayden. Your fight is over." Then he turned away and stopped midway. His eyes wandered all over the space before him. "Heero, I say no farewell to you, my friend. I just hope you'll get over your grief soon because we need you."

                Then Epyon headed away from what's left from mankind's first survival against an alien invasion.

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                Relena stared at the screen in great shock. She waited, hoping that Heero would reappear like he always did and with him, Kylie, since she knew that he's capable of doing the most impossible thing. But nothing like that happened. For once, her life was void of Heero's infamous miracles.

                As the truth finally sank in, Relena drew a deep breath but too late. A sob racked her body as she fell to her knees. Vincent rushed by her side to hold her in his arms, to offer as much comfort as he could. However as he held Relena close, he managed to catch her whispering something. "Heero, I love you."

                Somewhere behind them, Vincent heard Lady Une slumped on her seat. Despite the victory, there was nothing but defeat on her face.

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_                Summer, After Colony 198._

                After a seemingly futile struggle against the Telrhani, mankind managed to stop the Telrhani invasion. With the destruction of the wormhole and the mothership, the small number of the surviving Telrhani were left scattered, unable to return to their homeworld.

                In order to avoid any future confrontation, the Preventers were given the duty of watching over the remaining Telrhani's activity, as well as to salvage what was left from the war. The rescued prisoners were returned to their homes in teary reunions. And for a time being, the war was over.

                However, the war had also cost mankind greatly. Despite of the number of prisoners rescued from the mothership and the slaveships, there was also a long list of missing prisoners, being successfully transported through the wormhole before they could be rescued. And although the number of casualty was little, it was marred by the loss of two Gundam pilots. One dead and the other missing, presumably dead as well.

                Even so, plans were being made to rescue other prisoners who had been transported to the Telrhani homeworld. For now the brave soldiers, including the Gundam pilots were found recuperating, healing from physical wounds as well as personal losses. The remaining pilots had stayed together in order to help each other, especially the seriously-wounded Quatre Winner, recover from the emotional pain. Trowa Barton had been the one tirelessly stood by his side, day and night, and only left to return Catherine Bloom to their remaining circus family.

                It was then Quatre Winner was visited by an unusual visitor.

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                He first heard a singing voice, soft and sweet. Battling against the drugs that his physician administered, Quatre forced his eyes open and was rewarded by a beautiful and unbelievable sight. Standing before him, wearing a blue summer dress was Kylie, looking very much alive and well. Her peaceful face smiled at him as she touched his face.

                "Don't get up, Quatre," she said, her voice was music to his ears. Gently, she pushed him back down.

                He looked at her, disbelief. "You're still alive!" he said, in wonder. He found the thought disturbing as well as pleasant.

                "Of course I am," said Kylie, arranging the bouquet of red roses she brought in a vase. She then took his hand. "I came here to see you. How are you feeling?" she asked, patting his hand gently. Feeling relief at last, Quatre smiled groggily. "I'm fine now." He yawned. "And sleepy."

                Kylie chuckled. It sounded like music to his ears. "Go back to sleep, Winner," she said, pulling the blanket up to his chin. "Don't worry. Everything will be alright now," she whispered. "I'm going to take care of you just like old times." Her hair fell on Quatre's cheek as she bent over to kiss his forehead.

                "I promise…"

                Quatre woke up with a start. He thought that he heard the door being closed but a look around his room revealed to him that no one had come in. Not even Kylie. Quatre then realized, painfully, that he had been dreaming. Kylie's gone, gone forever from his life. She won't be returning to protect him anymore. He's on his own.

                Right then, the door slid open. Something inside him prayed that it would be Kylie. That somehow the dream was real and that she had gone to the ladies when he had been asleep. But his prayers were not answered. Instead of Kylie's dark red hair, he saw a bright blond hair of a girl.

                "Dorothy," he said, sinking his head back onto the pillow.

                Dorothy failed to detect the pain in his voice as she strode over, carrying a bouquet of daisy. "How are you doing, Quatre?"

                With a pang, Quatre answered, "I'm doing fine." He knew that he would be answering the same question for a long time. "Where's Wu Fei?" he asked. "I thought he was suppose to baby-sit me today," he said, barely hiding the bitterness in his voice. In his sorrow and pain, Quatre had grown to resent the extra attention his friends were giving him. He wished that they would leave him alone.

                Startled, Dorothy answered his question anyway. "He wasn't outside when I got here." She paused, gesturing at the daisies. "Anyway, Duo thought that the flowers might cheer you up," she said, turning to put the bouquet in a vase. And stopped.

                "I guess someone beat Duo on the whole flower idea," she observed.

                Quatre looked up and was startled to find a stalk of red rose in the vase. Dorothy examined the rose, frowning. "Hmm… there's no note," she commented. Then she waved the thought away. "Must be Trowa then. I'll just arrange the daisies around the rose then."

                But Quatre was busy thinking to hear what she was saying. His eyes stayed on the single red rose, which seemed odd among the white daisies. 'Could it be…' he thought. 'No. Kylie's dead. No one could've survive the blast such as that.' But still, something deep inside his heart refused to believe it.

                Seeing the stricken look on Quatre's face, she decided to tell him the news. "Lady Une has started the search among the wreckage. But so far, they've found nothing. Everything was so scattered that it is hard to determine which belong to Nova or Wing Zero or the Telrhani ships. They were beginning to think that Wing Zero was not destroyed but for now, they're still investigating the matter."

                Wordlessly, Quatre nodded. Although he was convinced that Kylie's dead, he still refused to believe that Heero was. And so were the other Gundam pilots. They all believed that Heero was a good enough pilot to perform miracles, such as getting out of the explosion in time. But Quatre couldn't help but wondering where the Wing Zero pilot was.

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                Walking away from Quatre Raberba Winner's room in the hospital's west wing, a young man pulled down his cap and walked towards the elevators. His stride was quick, as to avoid an unwanted confrontation with the newly arrived Dorothy Catalonia. His mission here was done and he just wanted to return to the place where he came from, without anyone ever knowing his presence there.

                But as he was exiting the west wing, a voice stopped him. Leaning against the wall ahead of him, was Wu Fei.

                "Hello, Heero Yuy," he said, his eyes regarded the supposedly missing Wing Zero pilot. "Glad to see you alive." He took note of Heero's stiff posture, remembering that he had been wounded while fighting Sira. Wu Fei himself had his chest bandaged, which was well hidden under his shirt.

                Pushing himself from the wall, Wu Fei walked over him. "I should've known that you'd be hard to kill. May I ask what are you doing here, hiding from everybody?" He raised his eyebrow, questioningly. "I thought you would be kind enough as to let us know that you're still alive."

                "I have my reasons," Heero answered under his cap. "As to my being here, I was actually running an errand."

                Startled, Wu Fei looked at him sharply. Then he turned to look at where Heero had came from. "Did _she_ sent you?" he asked, his voice shaky at the impossible prospect. A tiny hope emerged from deep within. But that hope vanished when Heero shook his head.

                "She would've wanted it this way," he answered.

                Wu Fei slumped onto a wall, defeatedly. "So, Kylie is truly gone."

                Heero did not answer. He simply lowered his head, in a mourn.

                For a moment, there was silence between them. Then Heero lowered his cap even more and started walking past Wu Fei. He stopped as he was shoulder-to-shoulder with the Chinese pilot and regarded him from the corner of his eyes. "Good bye, Wu Fei," he said, then continued his journey. But Wu Fei stopped him again.

                "I won't tell Darlian," he said, interpreting the look that Heero gave him a moment ago. "It'll be between you two when you're ready."

                Heero gave him an appreciative nod before walking away. Wu Fei turned around to walk back to Quatre's room and only to realize one thing. Heero Yuy wasn't walking towards the elevator. In fact, he was making his way towards the east wing!

                Turning to ask Heero why, Wu Fei discovered that the silent pilot was gone. Still in deep thought, the Chinese pilot made his way back, walking silently along the tranquil hospital hallway.

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                The wedding of Duo Maxwell and Hilde Schbeiker took place in the garden of what used to be the Maxwell church in a warm and beautiful autumn morning. With the exception of the two presumably dead Gundam pilots, everyone the bride and groom ever known attended the joyous occasion.

                With Heero dead and Quatre still recovering, Trowa took Heero's role as Duo's Best man while his sister, Catherine walked down the aisle as Hilde's maid of honor. Somehow, a strong bond of friendship between the two girls had blossomed during the twisted and painful war.

                Quatre, on the other hand, volunteered to finance the wedding despite Duo's argument. The latter had planned to postpone the wedding until he have enough money but Quatre's generous offer speed up the wedding to a date where he and Hilde had decided on earlier. And not wanting to hurt the feelings of his wounded friend, Duo accepted Quatre's charity as well as the new house he offered to the newly weds. But _nothing_ could make Duo accept Quatre's job offer and leave his salvage business, so the blond pilot opted to leave it at that.

                Personally, Trowa was just thankful that the wedding took place on the intended date. After months of grieving and recuperating, Quatre was finally smiling. And somehow, his smile alone brightened the day although it didn't quite reached his eyes yet. And the day continued to brighten when Hilde the bride appeared, looking more beautiful than ever as each guest stared at her in awe.

                And the look of pure happiness on Duo's face was something Trowa wouldn't trade for the world. It wasn't the mischievous happy face the braided pilot always wore, instead it was a happy look of someone whose life was finally complete. If only they were _all_ here and filled the missing places, Trowa found himself thought regrettably, then the wedding would be perfect.

                As the couple exchanged eternal vows, Trowa found himself glancing at the back of the small crowd. It was then, silhouetted by the glaring morning sun, Trowa saw a tiny lone figure standing far back. The figure seemed to be watching the whole ceremony. Realizing what he was seeing, Trowa turned to look at the others. But his trail of thoughts was interrupted by the cheers from the Maganac corp. as Duo and Hilde shared a shy kiss.

                Trowa then found himself shaking Duo's hand, congratulating him while others surrounded them. When his line of vision was finally cleared, Trowa saw that the lone figure was already gone. Unsure what he had just seen, Trowa decided to keep it to himself.

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                A few weeks later, another wedding took place. This time, all eyes were onto the ESUN Vice Foreign Minister Relena Darlian and her childhood friend, Vincent Dupree. The wedding took place in the newly repaired palace of the Sanc Kingdom with guests coming from all over the world.

                Quatre showed up with Dorothy and the newlyweds Duo and Hilde, representing the colonies himself. Trowa and Wu Fei, though in the guest lists, opted to stay far behind, expecting something to happen. They'd been acting as Relena's secret bodyguards for quite some time. When the news came that the Wing Zero pilot was dead, there had been many attempts on Relena's life. And so, both took the duty of continuing Heero's job of protecting the young minister.

                Silence fell on the ballroom as the ceremony started. Everyone craned their necks as Relena Darlian swept down the aisle, gracefully. Her head held up as her face took on a regal bearing. She looked like a moving marble statue, beautiful and captivating. Ladies sighed at the sight of the bride as men murmured their approvals. So awestruck they were at Relena's beauty that none notice that tiny hint of sadness in her eyes.

                And Relena had been _very_ sad.

                When Lady Une ceased her search for signs of Wing Zero, Relena had lost all hope of ever seeing her shining knight again. In her confusion and pain, she accepted Vincent's proposal for two reasons: that he loved her with all his heart and that it had been Heero's final wish.

                It took Relena her whole strength to show others of her recovery. And it hadn't been easy. When the war was over, Relena had buried herself with nothing but work. She even let Vincent planned the wedding, showing only her support upon his every decision. She also expressed regrets for the lost lives and gave hope for those who had lost their family by making countless visits. She showed them strength that they could indeed triumph over the Telrhani should the peaceful solution proved useless. She showed them all but never her own sorrow. She knew that she would break down should she let that feeling came near her.

                And so, Relena opted to smile a lot. She smiled at everyone, even at her brother Milliardo. She had learned of his secret marriage to Noin and had rejoiced it. She had made everyone celebrate their miraculous victory and only to grieve silently for Heero. Every night, alone in her room in the dark. Her arms would hold the teddy bear Heero gave her, grieving for her knight-in-shining-armor that won't be protecting her in the shadows anymore.

                As she walked down the aisle, the same emotion was threatening to overwhelm her again. Although she could clearly see Vincent at the altar, she could only visualize Heero standing there awaiting her. Although her mind wondered on the small children she and Vincent were going to have, she could only imagine little Heero Yuys. And although she tried to image getting old with Vincent, she could only see herself dying from old age in Heero's strong arms.

                Realizing what she had been thinking, Relena mustered all her strength to focus on Vincent, their future children and the life that they were going to have together. She forced herself to push away the fantasy of living and dying with Heero Yuy. Though her legs shaking under the wedding dress, Relena was thankful that she made to the altar in one piece.

                When Relena finally reached him, Vincent studied her briefly. He had been left breathless from the moment she appeared. Relena was even more beautiful than he had imagined. But he was slightly disturbed by the look in her eyes. Although she was smiling at him, there was something in her eyes that hinted a touch of sorrow. He would've wondered about it more if the priest hadn't broke his trail of thoughts.

                Blinking, he realized that the priest had asked the audience if there were any objections in their union. And Vincent was well aware of the gazes fallen on Relena, especially those of the Gundam pilots. He even saw Relena's brother, Zechs Merquise, studying his sister carefully.

                But the hall remained silent.

                And so, the priest continued on, with Relena painfully aware of the gazes upon her. She could almost sense Vincent's discomfort but still, she remained silent. Her mind was elsewhere. Back to where she and Vincent were childhood friends and back where she met Heero Yuy.

                A shift of movement from someone close by broke her nostalgic thoughts. She looked up to see Vincent staring down at her, in verge of saying something. "I'm sorry, Relena," he said to her before turning to the priest before them. "I can't marry this girl. Her heart belongs to someone else."

                There was a gasp among the guests. Even the Gundam pilots were startled. Vincent turned back to Relena, holding her hands in his. "Relena Darlian, I love you with all my heart," he confessed. "I love you from the day I met you, when we were children and I love you until there's no tomorrow." He then stared deep into her eyes. "But I can't marry someone who doesn't love me back."

                He put a finger on her lips when Relena was about to cut him off.

                "No," he said, shaking his head. "You might think that you love me now. But it's obvious that your heart is with someone else." He looked away, his teeth clenched. "And I shouldn't have put you through this. I'm sorry to have hurt you now but I could never fill that space in your heart because it's already taken."

                Then he looked at her in the eye, gently and kindly. "But if this Heero Yuy is truly dead, if you decide that he's dead to you and you're ready to accept me then know this Relena Darlian, I would always wait for you." He then kissed her forehead. He tried to ignore the stricken look on her face. "I'll be waiting," he whispered to her. Then, he was gone.

                It was only when the shock wore off that Relena sank to her knees, sobbing. All the sorrow, the pain she suffered alone, couldn't be contained anymore. She sensed someone rushed to her side, feeling a familiar strong arms enfolding her as she cried on the shoulder of her brother. She vaguely heard her brother chanting, "Let it out, Relena. Let it all out."

                And she did, whole-heartedly. In her tears, she only moaned one word. "Heero."

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                Standing a few meters away, Quatre watched the siblings. His own voice caught in his throat as he beheld the sorrowful sight. He knew exactly how Relena feel, understood her pain because he was feeling the same thing too. He had wanted to cry, he wanted to tell her that he shares her pain but instead, he looked on in silence. He was still unwilling to express his real feelings, still unwilling to show his pain. And so, he kept his stoic demeanor.

                Dorothy, standing close to Quatre, saw his face paled. She could see his body trembling but the look on his face was stone and ice. She reached for his hand, with him never noticing the gesture, and squeezed it reassuringly. Her mind went to the last time she talked to the cold Nova pilot. Their words.

                _"Are you in love with Quatre?"_

_                "Yes. It doesn't matter now. Quatre is always safer with you. You can give him things that I can't."_

_                "I see. Take care of him for me, Dorothy."_

                'And I will. I promise you this, Kylie,' she thought, there's a determination in her heart that she had never felt before. 'I promise to you and to myself that I will help Quatre heal, no matter what.' She looked up, into the gentle morning sun. 'I just hope that you're finally happy by Mr. Treize's side.'

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                After trying for months, Amy finally got through to the Preventer headquarters. In the previous months, the Preventers had been busy sweeping through the debris left by the devastation of war, as well as keeping more than one eye on the remaining Telrhani as a precaution. However, instead of taking her to see the head of Preventer Lady Une directly, Amy was brought before a low ranked agent who was waiting for her patiently behind a desk.

                He rose to his feet when she entered. "How may we help you, Miss Pierson?" he asked politely, despite the fatigue in his eyes. A load of paperwork piled up on his desk, Amy noticed.

                Fidgeting, Amy answered his enquiry. "I wish to have a word with Lady Une."

                The Preventer agent sighed. She had been one among many people who had wanted to see the boss all these months. Shaking his head, he said, "I'm sorry, Miss Pierson. Lady Une isn't available at this moment. She is… engaged elsewhere for a little while." He neglected to inform her that the head Preventer was taking a leave to be with her adopted daughter, Mariemaia.

                Amy's lips quivered. "Then, could you direct me to the Gundam pilot Kylie Rayden? She told me that she is staying in this base," she said, hopefully. "It's very important," she added.

                Her words seemed to catch his attention. He looked at her, carefully. "You mean the pilot of Gundam Nova?"

                Amy shrugged, unsure if that was the name of Kylie's Gundam. But she was willing to say anything to see her again.

                But obviously, the Preventer agent wasn't too sure. He gestured at her. "You may want to take a seat, Miss Pierson," he suggested as he walked around his desk to face her. Frowning out of fear and concern, Amy remained standing. "Are you her immediate family?" the agent asked, looking at her carefully. He'd never known the pilot to have any relatives.

                "What is it?" she asked, finding her voice surprisingly weak. "What happened?" She looked at him, bewildered.

                The Preventer agent looked at her, sympathetically. "Gundam pilot Kylie Rayden was killed in action in the last battle. She… sacrificed herself to destroy the wormhole device as well as the mothership hovering near the orbit of Pluto." He lowered his head, respectfully. "She was killed along with another Gundam pilot. Their sacrifices made it possible for us to win the war."

                There was an anguish cry as Amy fell onto her knees. She sobbed, not willing to accept the fact. Jack was gone, lost to her somewhere in another galaxy. And now Kylie's gone as well, dead among the debris in space. Hope diminished before she could even cling on to it.

                The agent knelt beside her, calling for his men to bring some water. His arm closed around the sob racked body of the young woman, guessing that she must somehow knew the dead Gundam pilot well. But before he could lead her to a chair, the girl stopped him.

                "It's okay," she said, sniffling. She seemed frail to him at the moment. "I'm fine." She looked up to him, having wiped all the tears away. A look of defeat and hopelessness reflected in her eyes. But he could also see a hint of strength in those eyes.

                "Are you alright, miss?" he asked gently.

                She nodded, pushing herself away. "I'll be fine. I just need to be by myself," she said, absent-mindedly walking out of the office. The Preventer agent watched her go, shaking his head in sorrow. "Looks like there's another person grieving for the Gundam pilot," he muttered to himself. "I just hope we won't be losing anymore pilots when we send them with the rescue team to the Telrhani Empire."

                With that he continued with his work.

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                At the same time Amy paid a visit to the Preventer headquarters, the door to Kylie Rayden's quarters slid open. A figure entered, his steps were heavy and weary. He knew that it was too early for him to be there. But he needed to do the hardest thing. He needed to let her go.

                And so when he heard that the Preventers planned to clean up the quarters for new recruits, he volunteered.

                Walking around the room, he could almost feel her presence. Although she had been gone for weeks now, her essence lingered in the room. Her bed was well made as if she'd never laid on it. The documents, mostly war plans and Nova blueprints, were stacked nicely. And when he opened her wardrobe, it was so neat that nothing was out of place.

                Sadly he shook his head, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. Throughout the year, he had learned to love her and knew a little more about her. But he hadn't known how neat she was until now. That made him even wonder if there were parts of her that he didn't know about. And that even made the lump in his throat grew in size.

                He hung his head forward. He clutched his burning chest, forcing the tears to disappear. And when he finally regained his composure, he reached for her clothes. When he had gathered all the clothes, he started with the documents on the table, placing everything in the boxes that would be sent to Lady Une who had taken a long leave.

                But as he was about to turn for the exit, he stopped. He noticed that in all of the neatness and order in the room, there was one thing that was out of place. The mirror, which was hung on the wall. It was cracked, as if something had hit it. Or someone.

                Sensing that she had been the one responsible, he trailed his fingers along the cobweb-like crack, thinking that he could feel her pain by doing so. But he jerked his fingers back when he felt a sharp pain. Blood oozed from where the sharp pieces cut him. He let the blood dripped onto the floor, not feeling the pain at all. His heart already felt all the pain in the world.

                That's when he lost it. The sorrow crashed on him so suddenly that he didn't have time or the opportunity to press it back. A sob broke from his lips as he curled onto the bed in a tight ball. It was then all his defensive walls crumbled and Quatre Winner cried like a child.

                In the background, a song echoed, its lyrics carried a very deep meaning.

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                Amy ran like she had never run before. Just when her world was finally complete, it crumbled, leaving her with nothing to go on once again. Her thoughts went back to the time when her family had been killed during the conflict in AC 195. Back then, Kyle was there to help her up. Help her rebuilt her life.

                But now, Kyle was no longer there. Her cold knight will no longer protect her and help her rebuilt her life. He couldn't even return her heart. Now, there was only emptiness inside her. She had lost love and family all at the same time. More painfully, without much of a good bye.

                And as she walked down her path of sorrow, Amy distinctively heard a song played in the background. She recognized the song immediately. It had been one of the last songs Kyle wrote before he left the band. He had told Amy once that it was for someone who had been like a father to her. Ironically, the lyrics seemed to compliment this sorrowful moment perfectly. It was as if Kyle was reaching out to her, telling her something.

                She found herself listening to the song carefully.

**_A PLACE NEARBY_**

_I entered the room_

_Sat by your bed all through the night._

_I watched your daily fight_

_I hardly knew._

_The pain was almost more_

_Than I could bear_

_And still I hear_

_Your last words to me._

_Heaven is a place nearby_

_So I won't be so far away_

_And if you try and look for me_

_Maybe you'll find me someday_

_Heaven is a place nearby_

_So there's no need to say good-bye_

_I wanna ask you not to cry_

_I'll always be by your side._

_You just faded away_

_You spread your wings you had flown_

_Away to something unknown_

_Wish I could bring you back_

_You're always on my mind_

_About to tear myself apart_

_You have your special place in my heart_

_Always_

_Heaven is a place nearby_

_So I won't be so far away_

_And if you try and look for me_

_Maybe you'll find me someday_

_Heaven is a place nearby_

_So there's no need to say good bye_

_I wanna ask you not to cry_

_I'll always be by your side._

_And even when I go to sleep_

_I still can hear your voice_

_And those words_

_I never will forget._

_Heaven is a place nearby_

_So I won't be so far away_

_And if you try and look for me_

_Maybe you'll find me someday_

_Heaven is a place nearby_

_So there's no need to say good bye_

_I wanna ask you not to cry_

_I'll always be by your side._

                And Amy knew, some place far away, someone else was listening to the song, drawing an unseen strength from it. She only hoped that the song would bring them enough strength to carry on. Enough strength to build them a new life.

                But will it be enough to extinguish the pain of losing an unfulfilled love?

                Only time could tell.

                Or maybe even hope…

**THE END.**

**CONTINUED IN SERIES 3: SHATTERED MIRRORS**

**_Writer's note:_**_ Whew! It's finally over. Yeah, I know this series is kinda long. But next time, I'll try to make it as short as I possibly can. Oh, yeah. Want to know what happen next? Wait until 'Shattered Mirrors'. It's REALLY going to be earth-shattering_ J


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